System and process for electrochemical upgrading of bio-oils and biocrudes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10260156-B2
Application number	US-201615078784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2016
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A system and process are disclosed for electrochemically upgrading bio-oils and bio-crudes that enhance yields of selected reduction products for subsequent production of bio-based fuels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for electrochemical hydrogenation of a complex bio-oil, the process comprising the steps of:
introducing a feed comprising the complex bio-oil into an electrolysis cell having electrodes operatively coupled to a pair of ion-selective membranes arranged in a zero-gap arrangement to define a center compartment between an anode exchange membrane in contact with the feed comprising the complex bio-oil and a cathode exchange membrane in contact with water; and
passing a current through the electrolysis cell to obtain protons from the water and short organic acids from the complex bio-oil by converting molecules in the feed to reduced products comprising reduced molecules containing a higher proportion of hydrogen than molecules in the feed while capturing the short organic acids in the center compartment,
wherein the complex bio-oil comprises numerous different organic and inorganic compounds including esters, acids, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, sugars, and phenol derivatives,
wherein the electrochemical hydrogenation removes reactive species and upgrades the complex bio-oil so as to make the reduced products suitable for introduction into a transportation fuel processing system, and
wherein the electrochemical hydrogenation is conducted without use of a supporting electrolyte or external hydrogen.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein introducing the feed includes flowing the feed continuously into the electrolysis cell.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the current is varied.

4. The process of claim 1 , further including passing the reduced products through a thermal hydrotreating reactor to further increase a proportion of hydrogen in the reduced product.

5. The process of claim 1 , further including passing the reduced products to a thermal alcohol dehydration reactor to decrease an oxygen content in the reduced product.

6. The process of claim 1 , further including passing the reduced products to a thermal alkylation reactor to increase an average molecular weight of the reduced product.

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute
• Battelle Energy Alliance Llc

Inventors

• Lilga Michael A
• Padmaperuma Asanga B
• Lister Tedd E
• Dufek Eric J
• Petkovic Lucia M
• Diaz-Aldana Luis A

Classifications

• Y02E60/366

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• C25B9/04

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C07B31/00

  Reduction in general · CPC title

• C07C11/02

  Alkenes · CPC title

• C25B1/04 Primary

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title