Battelle Development Corporation

Gulf Oil Corporation

Melville E Hillman

Edgel P Stambaugh

Edward S Lipinsky

William J Huffman

Disclosed is a method for thermochemically converting a carbohydrate material into ethanol wherein the carbohydrate material and a metal salt are reacted at elevated temperature to form an intermediate carbohydrate complex salt and/or a lactate metal salt which then is pyrolyzed in the presence of water into ethanol. Preferred carbohydrate materials for the process are various sugars and the metal salt preferably is a metal oxide, hydroxide, or carbonate. The intermediate complex and/or lactate salt may be separated from its aqueous reaction mixture prior to its pyrolysis to reduce the ultimate separation of ethanol from water. Alternatively, the metal of the metal salt may be one whose carbonate decomposes to metal oxide and carbon dioxide during the pyrolysis step of the process to generate said metal salt in situ.

Gasohol production from thermochemical conversion of biomass to ethanol

Disclosed is a process for converting a carbohydrate or lactic acid feedstock into an ethanol product in the presence of a metal salt at a reaction temperature ranging from about 250.degree. to about 400.degree. C. The improvement comprises establishing a reaction mixture of said feedstock, said metal salt, water, and an organic solvent. The organic solvent has a boiling point above about 150.degree. C., is stable at the reaction temperature, and solvates said feedstock. The solvent is selected from the group consisting of an alcohol, an ether, a tertiary amine, an amine oxide, a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, and a sulfoxide.

Thermochemical conversion of biomass to ethanol

A method is provided to manufacture a mixture of 1,4-dicarboalkoxy-1-cyclohexene and 1,3-dicarboalkoxy-1-cyclohexene which can be cyclized and rearranged to isophthalic acid and terephthalic acid.

Growing community of inventors

Columbus, OH, United States of America

Melville E Hillman