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US 8,507,702 B2Granted
Continuous production of bioderived esters via supercritical solvent processing using solid heterogeneous catalysts
AssigneeSouthwest Research Institute
InventorsMaoqi Feng, Chee-Kai Tan
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Abstract
A method for the continuous production of ester based organic compounds from renewable natural products via supercritical solvent processing in the presence of heterogeneous nano-structured catalysts. Fatty acid triglycerides may therefore be transesterified using heterogeneous nano-structured catalysts in the presence of supercritical alcohols to provide alkyl ester compounds and glycerine.
Claims23
A continuous trans-esterification reaction method for trans-esterifying a triglyceride comprising:
- continuously providing triglycerides;
- continuously providing a monohydric alcohol;
- continuously mixing the triglycerides and the monohydric alcohol in the presence of a nanostructured transesterification catalyst wherein said catalyst is present with a largest cross-sectional dimension of 50 nm to 200 nm and wherein said monohydric alcohol is present as a supercritical fluid;
- continuously trans-esterifying said triglycerides with said monohydric alcohol and generating mono-ester derivatives of said triglycerides.
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A continuous trans-esterification reaction method for trans-esterifying a triglyceride comprising:
- continuously providing a triglyceride;
- continuously providing methanol;
- continuously mixing the triglycerides and the methanol in the presence of a nano-structured transesterification catalyst wherein said catalyst is present with a largest cross-sectional dimension of 50 nm to 200 nm and wherein said methanol is present as a supercritical fluid at a critical temperature of at least 240° C. and critical pressure of at least 1140 psig;
- continuously trans-esterifying said triglyceride with said methanol and generating mono-ester derivatives of said triglyceride wherein said continuous trans-esterification of methanol is carried out in a reactor having a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min-10 mL/min and the residence time of the triglyceride in the reactor is 5.0 minutes to 15 minutes.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.