Method for production of short chain carboxylic acids and esters from biomass and product of same
AssigneeUniversity of North Dakota
InventorsAlena Kubatova, Wayne S. Seames, Brian M. Tande
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for producing a mixture of short chain carboxylic acids from biomass includes adding biomass to a reactor vessel, heating the biomass to crack it, removing undesired and unreacted materials and light ends from the cracked biomass, and removing a mixture containing carboxylic acids having carbon chain lengths between C2 and C16. A composition includes a carboxyl group-containing compound derived by cracking biomass and having a carboxyl carbon chain length between C2 and C16.
Claims22
A method for producing a mixture of short chain carboxylic acids from biomass, the method comprising:
- adding a biomass oil containing a compound having a carboxyl group to a reactor vessel;
- heating the biomass oil in the reactor vessel to a temperature ranging from about 390° C. to about 440° C. for a time sufficient to crack the biomass oil;
- removing undesired material, unreacted material, and light ends from the cracked biomass oil;
- and
- removing a mixture containing at least about 5% of carboxylic acids having carbon chain lengths between C2 and C16.
A method for producing short chain carboxylic acids and a fuel composition having a low cloud point from a biomass oil containing a compound having a carboxyl group, the method comprising:
- adding the biomass oil to a reactor vessel;
- heating the biomass oil in the reactor vessel to a temperature ranging from about 390° C. to about 440° C. at a pressure ranging from about vacuum conditions to about 3000 psia for a time sufficient to crack the biomass oil;
- removing undesired material, unreacted material, and light ends from the cracked biomass oil;
- collecting fractions of the cracked biomass oil including at least one of C4 to C16 alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, cycloparaffins, or alcohols;
- C2 to C16 fatty acids;
- or C2 to C16 fatty acid methyl esters;
- removing a mixture containing carboxylic acids having carbon chain lengths between C2 and C16;
- and
- combining collected fractions of cracked biomass oil to produce a fuel composition having a cloud point less than −10° C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.