Patent · US Expired

Process for conversion of lignin to reformulated, partially oxygenated gasoline

US6172272A · kind A · utility

64Cited by
73References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 18, 1999
Grant dateJan 9, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 18, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
  • CPC primaryC10L1/023
  • WIPO fieldBasic materials chemistry
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A high-yield process for converting lignin into reformulated, partially oxygenated gasoline compositions of high quality is provided. The process is a two-stage catalytic reaction process that produces a reformulated, partially oxygenated gasoline product with a controlled amount of aromatics. In the first stage of the process, a lignin feed material is subjected to a base-catalyzed depolymerization reaction, followed by a selective hydrocracking reaction which utilizes a superacid catalyst to produce a high oxygen-content depolymerized lignin product mainly composed of alkylated phenols, alkylated alkoxyphenols, and alkylbenzenes. In the second stage of the process, the depolymerized lignin product is subjected to an exhaustive etherification reaction, optionally followed by a partial ring hydrogenation reaction, to produce a reformulated, partially oxygenated/etherified gasoline product, which includes a mixture of substituted phenyl/methyl ethers, cycloalkyl methyl ethers, C.sub.7 -C.sub.10 alkylbenzenes, C.sub.6 -C.sub.10 branched and multibranched paraffins, and alkylated and polyalkylated cycloalkanes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.