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US 8,507,735 B2Granted
Alcohol synthesis
OwnerJohn E Staufferinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process is disclosed for the production of alcohols including ethanol, propanol and butanol starting with lower molecular weight alcohol, which is reacted with carbon monoxide to give an organic acid that in turn is reduced with hydrogen to form the product.
Claims4
A process for the manufacture of an alcohol product comprising the steps of:
- the reaction of alcohol, containing one less carbon atom than the product, with carbon monoxide over a promoted rhodium catalyst at a temperature in the range of 250° C. to 350° C. and pressure from 1 to 65 atmospheres to produce an organic acid;
- and
- the reaction of the organic acid from the first step with hydrogen over a copper chromite catalyst at a temperature in the range of 200° C. to 300° C. and a pressure between 1 and 100 atmospheres, to give the alcohol product and water, which are separated by fractionation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.