Process for the preparation of lactic acid and glyceric acid
AssigneeBoard of Trustees of Michigan State University
InventorsJames E. Jackson, Dennis J. Miller, Simona Marincean
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Hexose and pentose monosaccharides are degraded to lactic acid and glyceric acid in an aqueous solution in the presence of an excess of a strongly anionic exchange resin, such as AMBERLITE IRN78 and AMBERLITE IRA400. The glyceric acid and lactic acid can be separated from the aqueous solution. Lactic acid and glyceric acid are staple articles of commerce.
Claims15
A process for the preparation and purification of lactic acid and glyceric acid in an aqueous solution which comprises:
- (a) reacting an aqueous hexose sugar solution with a solid base at a temperature at least about 30° C. to produce anions of lactic acid and glyceric acid bound to the solid base and unreacted sugars and byproducts in the solution;
- (b) separating the unreacted sugars and byproducts in the solution from the bound lactic acid and glyceric acid anions;
- and
- (c) contacting the bound lactic acid and glyceric acid anions on the solid base with an aqueous acid solution to produce the lactic acid and glyceric acid in the aqueous solution.
A process for the preparation and purification of predominantly lactic acid and glyceric acid in an aqueous solution which comprises:
- (a) reacting an aqueous hexose sugar solution with an anionic ion exchange resin at a temperature between about 30° and 60° C. to produce anions of lactic acid and glyceric acid bound to the anionic ion exchange resin and unreacted sugars and byproducts in the solution;
- (b) separating the unreacted sugars and byproducts in the solution from the bound lactic acid and glyceric acid anions;
- and
- (c) contacting the bound lactic acid and glyceric acid anions on the anionic exchange column with an aqueous acidic solution to produce purified lactic acid and glyceric acid in the aqueous solution, wherein essentially all of the recovered reaction products in the aqueous solution have three-carbon backbones.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.