Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Exxonmobil Technology and Engineering Company

Changyub Paek

Randall David Partridge

Michael P Lanci

Yogesh V Joshi

Joseph M Falkowski

Catherine M Dorsi

Carmen C Lasso

Allen Wayne Burton

Arsam Behkish

Giovanni Pilloni

Scott Jeffrey Weigel

Peter I Ravikovitch

Benjamin A McCool

Sumathy Raman

Carla S Pereira

Partha Nandi

Xiaozhou Zhang

Vera Grankina

Mohor Chatterjee

Fang Cao

Jayashree Kalyanaraman

This disclosure provides methods for separating multi-ring naphthenes from a hydrocarbon feedstock. The hydrocarbon feedstock includes at least normal paraffins, isoparaffins, 1-ring naphthenes attached with a paraffinic alkyl chain, and multi-ring naphthenes. The methods comprise passing the hydrocarbon feedstock and a solvent, at a temperature and pressure through a bed of an adsorbent comprising a metal-organic framework (MOF) adsorbent, to adsorb the multi-ring naphthenes from the hydrocarbon feedstock, thereby producing a base stock product that is depleted in multi-ring naphthenes. The metal-organic framework adsorbent is a porous crystalline material comprised of metal functionalities connected by organic linkers to form a repeating 2-D or 3-D lattice. The base stock product has a viscosity index (VI) greater than the viscosity index of the hydrocarbon feedstock. The methods of this disclosure upgrade Group II base stocks (also Group II+ base stocks) to Group III or Group III+ base stocks, and also upgrade Group III base stocks to Group III+ base stocks.

Selective separation of naphthenes for production of enhanced viscosity index lube base stocks

The present disclosure relates to processes for producing hydrocarbon fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. A process may include introducing biomass to a pretreatment system forming a pretreatment effluent and introducing the pretreatment effluent to a hydrolysis system forming a hydrolysate. The hydrolysate may be introduced to a lignin separation system to form a sugar-rich stream and a lignin-rich stream. The sugar-rich stream may be introduced to a purification system comprising at least one toxin converting microorganism or subcellular material to form a purified sugar-rich stream, and the purified sugar-rich stream and one or more sugar converting microorganisms are introduced to a bioreactor configured to produce hydrocarbon fuels. Additionally, the present disclosure also related to systems for production of hydrocarbon fuels including, a pretreatment system, a hydrolysis system, a lignin separation system, a purification system, and at least one bioreactor.

Biological guard beds in conversion of biomass into hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals

A process for separating one or more one-ring cycloparaffins and one or more multi-ring cycloparaffins from a hydrocarbon mixture is disclosed. The process comprises the steps of providing the hydrocarbon mixture; and contacting the hydrocarbon mixture with an adsorbent material comprising a metal organic framework to separate the one or more one-ring cycloparaffins and the one or more multi-ring cycloparaffins from the hydrocarbon mixture. The process is conducted in a liquid phase.

Liquid phase adsorptive separation of cycloparaffins from hydrocarbon mixture

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for converting biomass comprising lignocellulosic material into biofuels and biochemicals that contribute to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the present disclosure relates to methods and systems for the removal or reduction of impurities during lignocellulosic biomass processing to enhance biorefinery production of biofuels and biochemicals.

Lignocellulosic biomass treatment methods and systems for production of biofuels and biochemicals

Provided herein are methods and systems of making a high quality isoparaffinic base stock which include contacting an adsorbent material with a hydrocarbon feedstock and a solvent and separating at least some of the one or more high VI components from the hydrocarbon feedstock to produce a first fraction base stock having a first fraction base stock viscosity index. The adsorbent material is desorbed with a second solvent to produce a second fraction base stock having a second fraction base stock viscosity index. In these methods, the first fraction base stock viscosity index is less than the hydrocarbon feedstock viscosity index and the second fraction base stock viscosity index is greater than the hydrocarbon feedstock viscosity index.

Adsorptive process for separation of isoparaffinic lube base stock from lower quality oils

A method for separating classes of hydrocarbon compounds from a feed stream including a hydrocarbon mixture is disclosed. The method includes the steps of passing a feed stream through a plurality of separation units arranged in a series in any order, wherein each separation unit has an adsorbent material; and separating classes of hydrocarbon compounds from the feed stream. When one of the plurality of separation units comprises an adsorbent material that is a metal organic framework selected from a zirconium, hafnium, cerium, or titanium-based metal organic framework, then another plurality of separation units includes an adsorption material that is different from the metal organic framework. The method is conducted in a liquid phase. The method can also use a single separation unit with a continuous cyclic bed apparatus. The method can be combined with refining and downstream processes.

Advanced adsorptive separation processes for molecular class separation

The present disclosure relates to glycolipid compositions, methods for making glycolipid compositions, and their uses thereof. Glycolipid compositions can be prepared via yeast-mediated catalyzed reaction, and exhibit excellent surfactant properties having high corrosion inhibition performance, good reducing surface tension efficiency. Processes of the present disclosure can provide glycolipid compositions having one or more of: a ratio of lactonic glycolipids to glycolipid acylic esters is from about 1:10 to about 10:1, a molecular weight of from about 400 g/mol to about 10,000 g/mol, a corrosion rate of carbon steel from about 0.5 MPY to about 100 MPY at room temperature and at pH 4-6. Furthermore, aqueous solutions of the glycolipid compositions of the present disclosure can have a surface tension of from about 20 mN/m to about 80 mN/m.

Glycolipid composition and method thereof

In a process for separating dimethyl biphenyl isomers a mixture comprising one or more 3,3', 3,4&#x2032;- or 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers, one or more 2,X&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers (where X=2, 3, or 4) and one or more further hydrocarbon components is contacted with a first adsorbent, thereby selectively adsorbing one or more of the dimethyl biphenyl isomers within the first adsorbent. A first raffinate stream containing less selectively adsorbed components is withdrawn from the first adsorbent and a first extract stream containing selectively adsorbed dimethyl biphenyl isomers is withdraw. The selectively adsorbed dimethyl biphenyl isomers comprise one or more of 3,3&#x2032;-, 3,4&#x2032;- or 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers and one or more of 2,X&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers (where X&#x2032;=2, 3, or 4).

Production and separation of dimethyl biphenyl isomers

In a process for producing one or more 2,X'-dimethyl biphenyl isomers (where X=2, 3 or 4), a feed comprising toluene is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a hydroalkylation catalyst under conditions effective to produce a hydroalkylation reaction product comprising (methylcyclohexyl)toluene. At least part of the hydroalkylation reaction product is dehydrogenated in the presence of a dehydrogenation catalyst under conditions effective to produce a dehydrogenation reaction product comprising dimethyl biphenyl isomers. The dehydrogenation reaction product is then separated into at least a first stream comprising one or more 3,3&#x2032;-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers and at least one second stream comprising one or more 2,X&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers (where X=2, 3 or 4). The at least one second stream is then contacted with a first adsorbent thereby selectively adsorbing one or more 2,X&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers (where X=2, 3 or 4) within said first adsorbent and then withdrawing from said first adsorbent a first extract stream comprising one or more selectively adsorbed 2,X&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers (where X=2, 3 or 4) and a first raffinate stream comprising one or more less selectively adsorbed components.

In a process for separating one or more 3,3'-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers, a feed comprising the isomers is contacted with a zeolite adsorbent which contains one or more metal cations in the +1 or +2 oxidation states. Separation processes for each of the 3,3&#x2032;-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers is provided.

Processes for separating dimethyl biphenyl isomers using zeolite adsorbents

In a process for producing one or more 3,3'-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers, a feed comprising toluene is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a hydroalkylation catalyst under conditions effective to produce a hydroalkylation reaction product comprising (methylcyclohexyl)toluenes. At least part of the hydroalkylation reaction product is dehydrogenated in the presence of a dehydrogenation catalyst under conditions effective to produce a dehydrogenation reaction product comprising a mixture of dimethyl biphenyl isomers. The dehydrogenation reaction product is then separated into at least a first stream containing one or more 3,3&#x2032;-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers and at least one second stream comprising one or more 2,X&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers (where X is 2, 3, or 4). The 3,3&#x2032;-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers are then separated utilizing selective adsorption.

Production and separation of 3,3'-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers

In a process for separating one or more 3,3'-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers, a feed comprising the isomers is contacted with an adsorbent containing a zeolite having a largest diffuse along dimension of at least 4 Angstroms. The adsorbents provide selective adsorption of 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl.

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Bridgewater, NJ, United States of America

Changyub Paek