Catalytic biomass conversion methods, catalysts, and methods of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9783474-B2
Application number	US-201415032218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2014
Priority date	Oct 27, 2013
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

Described herein are processes for one-step delignification and hydrodeoxygenation of lignin fraction a biomass feedstock. The lignin feedstock is derived from by-products of paper production and biorefineries. Additionally described is a process for converting biomass-derived oxygenates to lower oxygen-content compounds and/or hydrocarbons in the liquid or vapor phase in a reactor system containing hydrogen and a catalyst comprised of a hydrogenation function and/or an oxophilic function and/or an acid function. Finally, also described herein is a process for converting biomass-derived oxygenates to lower oxygen-content compounds and/or hydrocarbons in the liquid or vapor phase in a reactor system containing hydrogen and a catalyst comprised of a hydrogenation function and/or an oxophilic function and/or an acid function.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A delignification process comprising treating biomass with a selective hydrodeoxygenation catalyst to form 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol, 2,6-dimethoxy-4-propylphenol, or mixtures thereof, wherein the hydrodeoxygenation catalyst comprises palladium and zinc.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the process is performed in a single step.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrodeoxygenation catalyst comprises zinc and palladium on carbon.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the palladium on carbon is a nanoparticulate.

5. The process of claim 3 , wherein the biomass is wood biomass.

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein a single product stream is created in the liquid phase comprising 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol, 2,6-dimethoxy-4-propylphenol, or mixtures thereof.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the percentage by mass of 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol in the single product stream is between about 17% and about 100%.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein cellulose remaining in the biomass after processing is suitable for further processing into liquid fuels or other chemicals.

9. A process for preparing liquid transportation fuels comprising treating biomass with a selective hydrodeoxygenation catalyst to form 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol, 2,6-dimethoxy-4-propylphenol, or mixtures thereof to form a single product liquid stream, wherein the selective hydrodeoxygenation catalyst comprises palladium and zinc; and catalytically hydrogenating the liquid stream to prepare liquid transportation fuels.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein propylbenzene is a liquid transportation fuel.

11. The process of claim 10 , wherein the catalyst for hydrogenation is PtMo.

12. The process of claim 9 , wherein vapor-phase products from the treatment of a selective hydrodeoxygenation catalyst are catalytically dehydrogenated to form liquid transportation fuels.

13. The process of claim 11 , wherein the PtMo catalyst is supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

14. The process of claim 9 , wherein the catalyst is a bimetallic catalyst wherein one metal is selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Ni, Ru, Rh, Co, and Fe and the other metal is selected from the group consisting of Ti, V, Nb, Cr, Mo, W, Re, Fe, and Cu and wherein the catalyst is supported on a support selected from the group consisting of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, carbon, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, silica-aluminate, and a zeolite.

15. The process of claim 9 , wherein the catalytically hydrogenating the liquid stream to prepare liquid transportation fuels is done in a suitable high-pressure reactor.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Delgass William Nicholas
• Agrawal Rakesh
• Ribeiro Fabio Henrique
• Saha Basudeb
• Yohe Sara Lynn
• Abu-Omar Mahdi M
• Parsell Trenton
• Dietrich Paul James
• Klein Ian Michael

Classifications

• C07D307/46

  Doubly bound oxygen atoms, or two oxygen atoms singly bound to the same carbon atom · CPC title

• C07C41/18 Primary

  by reactions not forming ether-oxygen bonds · CPC title

• C07D307/48

  Furfural · CPC title

• C07C2523/60

  with zinc, cadmium or mercury · CPC title

• C08H6/00

  Macromolecular compounds derived from lignin, e.g. tannins, humic acids · CPC title