Method for making industrial chemicals
AssigneeElevance Renewable Sciences, Inc.
InventorsJames R. Millis, Michael J. Tupy, Timothy W. Abraham, Mervyn L. De Souza
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for producing industrially important chemicals from renewable resources is disclosed. This “biobased” process employs readily available, renewable resources comprising fatty acids rather than exploiting fossil sources, such as coal and petroleum. In one embodiment of the process 1-octene, along with methyl-9-decenoate and butadiene, is produced from linoleic acid via an enzymemediated isomerization reaction, followed by a metathesis reaction with ethylene. Linoleic acid can be isolated from vegetable oils, such as soybean oil.
Claims21
A process for producing an industrial chemical, comprising:
- providing an isomerization precursor;
- isomerizing a site of unsaturation in the precursor to produce an isomerized derivative;
- and
- reacting the isomerized derivative with an unsaturated compound in the presence of a metathesis catalyst to produce at least one desired industrial chemical, where the isomerization precursor is an unsaturated fatty acid or fatty acid derivative.
A process for producing I-octene, comprising:
- providing linoleic acid or a derivative thereof;
- enzymatically isomerizing a site of unsaturation in the linoleic acid or derivative thereof to produce an isomerized linoleic acid or isomerized lower ester oflinoleic acid;
- and
- reacting the isomerized linoleic acid or isomerized lower ester of linoleic acid with a metathesis catalyst in the presence of ethylene, thereby producing 1-octene.
A process for producing 1-octene, comprising:
- providing linoleic acid from soybean oil;
- contacting the linoleic acid with a linoleate isomerase to produce Δ9,11-octadecadienoic acid;
- esterifying the Δ9,11-octadecadienoic acid to produce a lower alkyl ester;
- and
- contacting the ester with a metathesis catalyst in the presence of ethylene, thereby producing 1-octene.
A process for producing 1-octene, comprising:
- providing a fatty acid diene or an ester thereof;
- converting the fatty acid diene or the ester thereof to vaccenic acid or an ester thereof;
- contacting the vaccenic acid or an ester thereof with a metathesis catalyst in the presence of ethylene, thereby producing 1-octene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.