Shell Oil Comapny

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Shell Usa, Inc.

Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij, B.v.

Juben Nemchand Chheda

Joseph Broun Powell

Jean Paul Andre Marie Joseph Ghislain Lange

Kimberly Ann Johnson

Lamar Lane Joffrion

Robert Edward Trepte

Philip Walter Anderson

Paul Richard Weider

James Anthony Dumesic

Evert Van Der Heide

Robert Lawrence Blackbourn

Thomas Lamar Flowers

Lorna Beatriz Ortiz-Soto

Charu Ehrenreich-Gureja

Jean Paul Lange

Glenn Charles Komplin

George W Huber

Jean-Paul Andre Marie Joseph Ghislain Lange

Molly Gilchrest

Yuriy Roman-Leshkov

Christopher J Barrett

Yuriy Romαn-Leshkov

Allison Elaine Falender

Luca Ricciardi

Willem Verboom

Jurriaan Hüskens

Jean Paul Andre Marie Joseph Gishlain Lange

A process for the production of furfural from a biphasic composition including furfural, an organic solvent and soluble organic debris. The said process includes subjecting the biphasic composition to a liquid-liquid separation step to provide an organic phase and an aqueous phase. The organic phase includes the organic solvent, a first portion of the furfural and a first portion of soluble organic debris. The aqueous phase includes a remainder portion of the furfural and a remainder portion of soluble organic debris. The organic phase is subjected to a distillation step to provide a furfural stream and an organic solvent stream including the organic solvent and the first portion of the soluble organic debris. The organic solvent stream is conveyed to an adsorption unit to adsorb a second portion of the soluble organic debris, forming an organic debris-depleted recycle stream.

Process for the production of furfural

Disclosed is a process for the extraction of furfural. The process includes subjecting a composition comprising furfural, water, at least one acid and an aromatic solvent, with a boiling point higher than that of furfural, to a first separation step in a first liquid-liquid separator providing a first organic phase and a first aqueous phase; conveying the first organic phase along a first line to a distillation column and subjecting the first organic phase to a distillation step providing a top stream comprising furfural and a bottom stream comprising the aromatic solvent; subjecting the first aqueous phase and a portion of the bottom stream to a second separation step providing a second organic phase; conveying the second organic phase along a second line which either feeds its contents into the first line or into the distillation column and subjecting the resultant mixture to said distillation step.

Process for the recovery of furfural

Disclosed is a process for the extraction of furfural which includes: (a) subjecting a composition comprising furfural, water, at least one acid and an aromatic solvent, with a boiling point higher than that of furfural, to a first separation step providing: (i) an organic phase, and (ii) an aqueous phase; (b) subjecting the aqueous phase of step (a) to a first distillation step to provide: (i) a first in top stream comprising a furfural-water azeotrope; (c) subjecting the first top stream of step (b) to a second separation step to provide: (i) a second top stream comprising a portion of the furfural-water azeotrope; (d) subjecting the second top stream of step (c) to a second distillation step to provide: (i) a third top stream enriched with the furfural-water azeotropic mixture; (e) subjecting the organic phase of step (a) to a third distillation step to provide: a fourth top stream comprising furfural.

A process for the extraction of furfural from a composition comprising furfural, water, at least one organic acid and an oxygenate solvent with a boiling point higher than that of furfural. The process includes: (a) subjecting the composition to a first liquid-liquid separation step to provide: (i) an organic phase; (b) subjecting the organic phase of step (a) to a first distillation step to provide: (i) a first top stream; (c) subjecting the first top stream of step (b) to a second liquid-liquid separation step to provide: (i) a second top stream; and (d) subjecting the second top stream of step (c) to a second distillation step to provide: (i) a third top stream comprising a furfural-water azeotrope, and (ii) a third bottom stream comprising furfural.

Disclosed is a process for the extraction of furfural including: (a) subjecting a composition comprising furfural, water, at least one inorganic acid, at least one organic acid and a solvent mixture comprising an aromatic solvent and an oxygenate solvent, to a first separation step providing: (i) a first organic phase; (b) subjecting the first organic phase to a first distillation step providing: (i) a first top stream comprising furfural and a portion of the at least one organic acid; (c) subjecting the first top stream from step (b) to a second separation step providing: (i) a second top stream enriched with furfural; (d) subjecting the second top stream from step (c) to a second distillation step providing: (i) a third top stream comprising a furfural-water azeotrope, and (ii) a third bottom stream comprising furfural.

Implementations of the disclosed subject matter provide a process for converting biomass into furfural. The process may include subjecting a pentosan-containing biomass material to an acid catalyzed digestion process in a digestion vessel to produce a digested product stream comprising C5-carbohydrates and solids comprising cellulose. The digested product stream may be separated into a liquid product stream and a solid product stream comprising lignin and cellulose. The solids product stream may be contacted with water and an organic solvent, thereby converting at least part of the lignin to a phenolic solvent. The C5-carbohydrate in the liquid product stream may be subjected to a dehydration reaction in the presence of an acid catalyst and a biphasic mixture comprising an aqueous phase and a water-immiscible organic phase, wherein the water-immiscible organic phase includes at least a portion of the phenolic solvent, to produce furfural or a furan derivative.

Lignin-based solvents and methods for their preparation

Methods and processes for the production of valuable organic products and alcohols from biomass using a single-step dehydration extraction process having numerous advantages over prior production methods are described.

One-step production of furfural from biomass

Furfural is produced from biomass material containing pentosan, in high yields, in a production process comprising treating the biomass with a solution containing at least one &#x3b1;-hydroxysulfonic acid thereby hydrolyzing the biomass to produce a product stream containing at least one C-carbohydrate compound in monomeric and/or oligomeric form, and dehydrating the C-carbohydrate compound in the presence of a heterogeneous solid acid catalyst, in a biphasic reaction medium comprising an aqueous phase and a water-immiscible organic phase, at a temperature in the range of from about 100&#xb0; C. to about 250&#xb0; C. to produce a dehydration product stream containing furfural. An aqueous stream is separated from the dehydration product, which can be optionally recycled to the hydrolysis step.

Process for preparing furfural from biomass

Furfural is produced from biomass material containing pentosan, in high yields, in a production process comprising treating the biomass with a solution containing at least one &#x3b1;-hydroxysulfonic acid thereby hydrolyzing the biomass to produce a product stream containing at least one C-carbohydrate compound in monomeric and/or oligomeric form, and dehydrating the C5-carbohydrate compound in the presence of an acid, in a biphasic reaction medium comprising an aqueous phase and a water-immiscible organic phase, at a temperature in the range of from about 100&#xb0; C. to about 250&#xb0; C. to produce a dehydration product stream containing furfural. An aqueous stream is separated from the dehydration product that can be optionally recycled to the hydrolysis step.

The present invention provides a process for preparing furfural and furfural derivatives using a furfural-derived solvent.

Process for the manufacture of furural and furfural derivatives

Methods and processes for the production of valuable organic products and alcohols from biomass material using a closed-loop process having numerous advantages over prior production methods are described. In the process, the biomass is subjected to acid-catalyzed digestion, followed by a separation of the digestion product stream into a solid product stream and a liquid product stream, the liquid product stream thereafter undergoing acid-catalyzed dehydration in the presence of an organic solvent, and thereafter separating the organic products in the organic layer from the aqueous layer. During the process, aqueous and organic fluid streams are fed back into various portions of the production process to increase the concentration of active portions and maximize product recovery.

Closed-loop production of furfural from biomass

Processing of a reaction product mixture containing at least one volatile organic compound as well as lignin, lignin derived compounds, and/or unextracted cellulose and hemicellulose using a recovery system comprising at least two flashers or at least one flasher and at least two reboilers. In a particular embodiment, the reaction product mixture comes from reactions involving deconstruction (or digestion) of biomass, particularly cellulosic biomass which contains various polysaccharides (e.g., carbohydrates) and lignin.

Methods and systems for processing a reaction product mixture of cellulosic biomass material

Digestion of cellulosic biomass solids may be complicated by release of lignin therefrom. Methods and systems for processing a reaction product containing lignin-derived products, such as phenolics, can comprise hydrotreating the reaction product to convert the lignin-derived products to desired higher molecular weight compounds. The methods and systems can further include separating the higher molecular weight compounds from unconverted products, such as unconverted phenolics, and recycling the unconverted phenolics for use as at least a portion of the digestion solvent and for further conversion to desired higher molecular weight compounds with additional hydrotreatment. The methods and systems can further include a further hydrotreatment step configured for additional lignin conversion and/or a further hydrotreatment step configured for generating hydrogen.

Methods and systems for processing cellulosic biomass

Digestion of cellulosic biomass solids may be complicated by release of lignin therefrom. Methods and systems for processing a reaction product containing lignin-derived products, such as phenolics, can comprise hydrotreating the reaction product to convert the lignin-derived products to desired higher molecular weight compounds. The methods can further include separating the higher molecular weight compounds from unconverted products, such as unconverted phenolics, and recycling the unconverted phenolics for use as at least a portion of the digestion solvent and for further conversion to desired higher molecular weight compounds with additional hydrotreatment. The methods and systems can further include generating hydrogen with the further hydrotreatment.

Digestion of cellulosic biomass solids may be complicated by release of lignin therefrom. Methods and systems for processing a reaction product containing lignin-derived products, such as phenolics, can comprise hydrotreating the reaction product to convert the lignin-derived products to desired higher molecular weight compounds. The methods can further include separating the higher molecular weight compounds from unconverted products, such as unconverted phenolics, and recycling the unconverted phenolics for use as at least a portion of the digestion solvent and for further conversion to desired higher molecular weight compounds with additional hydrotreatment.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Juben Nemchand Chheda