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Publication Number
US-12146113-B2
Publication Date
2024-11-19
Expiration Date
Abstract
The disclosure provides methods for the production of liquefied petroleum gas from sustainable feedstocks, including methods comprising conversion of alcohols produced by gas fermentation for the production of propane and/or butane.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to producing liquefied petroleum gas by converting C3 alcohols and/or C4 alcohols into propane and/or butane. The C3 alcohol and/or C4 alcohol dehydration feed stream is produced by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate comprising CO, CO2, CH4, or any mixture thereof, and the dehydration feed stream has a water content of less than 30 wt %.
The dehydration feed stream is contacted in a dehydration reactor with a dehydration catalyst to produce a first reactor effluent stream comprising a C3 alkene and/or a C4 alkene. The resulting alkene-containing effluent is then processed in a hydrogenation reactor.
In the hydrogenation reactor, the first reactor effluent stream is contacted with hydrogen and a hydrogenation catalyst to produce a product stream comprising propane and/or butane. The approach is described in the context of producing LPG with low olefin content via multiple fermentation-to-catalysis conversion routes.
Claims Coverage
The document includes one independent method claim and multiple dependent claims. Across the claim set, the inventive features center on fermentation-derived C3/C4 alcohol feed streams with low water content, sequential dehydration to alkenes and hydrogenation to propane/butane using specified catalyst classes, and optional narrowing of alkene species and operating conditions through dependents.
Fermentation to dehydration feed stream with low water content
Producing a dehydration feed stream comprising a C3 alcohol and/or a C4 alcohol by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate comprising CO, CO2, CH4, or any mixture thereof, wherein the dehydration feed stream has a water content of less than 30 wt %.
Dehydration reactor to form C3/C4 alkenes with dehydration catalyst
Contacting, in a dehydration reactor, the dehydration feed stream with a dehydration catalyst to produce a first reactor effluent stream comprising a C3 alkene and/or a C4 alkene.
Hydrogenation reactor to form propane/butane with hydrogen and hydrogenation catalyst
Contacting, in a hydrogenation reactor, the first reactor effluent stream comprising the C3 alkene and/or the C4 alkene with hydrogen and a hydrogenation catalyst to produce a product stream comprising propane and/or butane.
Acidic and supported dehydration catalyst selection
The dehydration catalyst is selected from acidic alumina, aluminum phosphate, silica-alumina phosphate, amorphous silica-alumina, aluminosilicate, zirconia, sulfated zirconia, tungstated zirconia, tungsten carbide, molybdenum carbide, titania, sulfated carbon, phosphated carbon, phosphated silica, phosphated alumina, acidic resin, heteropolyacid, inorganic acid, and mixtures thereof.
Specific hydrogenation catalyst selection
The hydrogenation catalyst is selected from Ni-alumina, Pd-C, Raney-Ni, Co, Pt, or combinations thereof.
Alkene species narrowing for C3 and C4 alkenes
The C3 alkene is propene and the C4 alkene comprises butene, an isomer of butene, and/or butadiene.
Overall, the claim coverage defines a method where fermentation produces low-water C3/C4 alcohols from CO/CO2/CH4 gas, dehydration converts these alcohols to C3/C4 alkenes using defined dehydration catalysts, and hydrogenation converts the alkenes to propane/butane using defined hydrogenation catalysts, with dependent claims optionally constraining alkene species and reactor conditions.
Stated Advantages
Producing LPG with low olefin content.
Documented Applications
Bio-based LPG production by converting alcohols made via microbial fermentation of CO/CO2/CH4-containing gaseous substrates into propane/butane through dehydration/hydrogenation and related conversion routes.
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