Method of converting ethanol to higher alcohols

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10745330-B2
Application number	US-201816046395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2018
Priority date	Jul 27, 2017
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

A method and catalyst for forming higher alcohols from lower alcohol feedstocks. In one application a highly selective and stable copper pseudo-single-atom supported on MgO—Al 2 O 3 catalyst is provided which provides ethanol condensation to higher alcohols at ˜50% yields and ˜85% selectivity is demonstrated with stable catalyst lifetime over 500 hours in a continuous flow system. In some applications a Guerbet condensation process is further utilized to yield a higher alcohol at a selectivity of near ˜90%.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for converting an alcohol containing feedstock containing ethanol, the method comprising the steps of:
introducing the feedstock to a co-precipitated CuO—MgO—Al 2 O 3 catalyst having dispersed and stabilized Cu 1+ copper sites at an atomic level (pseudo-single atom) on a MgO—Al 2 O 3 catalyst, wherein the copper percentage is between 0.025 wt % and 0.25 wt % under a hydrogen carrier gas at a pressure above 100 psig and at a temperature between 275-350 degrees C. to facilitate in-line process intensification selectively form a preselected higher alcohol product.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst is a sinter resistant catalyst.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of condensing the preselected higher alcohol product through a Guerbet reaction to yield a second product.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of: passing the second product from the Guerbet reaction through a second catalyst bed to improve selectivity to alcohols via conversion of esters and aldehydes and minimize downstream separation.

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• Ramasamy Karthikeyan K
• Guo Mond F
• Gray Michel J
• Subramaniam Senthil

Classifications

• C07C29/32

  increasing the number of carbon atoms by reactions without formation of -OH groups · CPC title

• C07C29/34 Primary

  by condensation involving hydroxy groups or the mineral ester groups derived therefrom, e.g. Guerbet reaction · CPC title

• C07C31/125

  containing five to twenty-two carbon atoms · CPC title

• C07C31/12

  containing four carbon atoms · CPC title