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US 8,802,404 B2Granted
Vinyl acid monomer recovery
AssigneesUniversity of New Hampshire, Itaconix Corporation
InventorsJennifer Durant, Yvon Durant, John Shaw
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a method for recovering a vinyl acid monomer by providing an aqueous fermentation broth which undergoes microbial fermentation of a nutrient medium containing a carbon source including at least one microorganism to produce a vinyl acid monomer. The method provides a direct overall route to bio-based polymers of the vinyl acid monomer, and in particular, polymers of polyitaconic acid.
Claims20
A method for recovering itaconic acid monomer by:
- (a) providing an aqueous fermentation broth which undergoes microbial fermentation of a nutrient medium containing a carbon source including at least one microorganism to produce itaconic acid;
- (b) extracting the itaconic acid from said aqueous fermentation broth into an organic phase by exposure to a hydrophobic Lewis base having a solubility in water of less than or equal to 1.0 g/L, wherein the itaconic acid monomer is present in a salt form in said organic phase;
- (c) exposing said itaconic acid salt in said organic phase to an aqueous phase containing a base and recovering said itaconic acid salt in an aqueous phase as a partially neutralized salt of said itaconic acid monomer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.