Patents Examined by Elvis O. Price
  • Vapor separation in alcohol production
    Patent number: 8927782
    Abstract: Two or more vapor-liquid separators are used in a process for removing at least one non-condensable gas from a crude alcohol mixture prepared by hydrogenating alkanoic acid and/or esters thereof. The vapor-liquid separators may comprise flashers or knock-out pots and are suitable for removing non-condensable gas, including those gases that are dissolved in the liquid. The multiple vapor-liquid separators may be in series prior to any separation of organic components. In addition, there may be a vapor-liquid separator before and after a distillation column for treating the feed to the column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Celanese International Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Grusendorf, Victor J. Johnston, David Lee, Lincoln Sarager, R. Jay Warner
  • Recovering ethanol with sidestreams to regulate C+ alcohols concentrations
    Patent number: 8927783
    Abstract: This invention relates to purification and/or recovery of ethanol from a crude ethanol product obtained from the hydrogenation of acetic acid. Separation and purification processes of a crude ethanol mixture are employed to allow recovery of ethanol and remove impurities. In particular, the process involves one or more sidestreams to regulate C3+ alcohols concentration in the recovered ethanol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Celanese International Corporation
    Inventors: Trinity Horton, Radmila Jevtic, Victor J. Johnston, David Lee, Adam Orosco
  • Process to recover alcohol with reduced water from overhead of acid column
    Patent number: 8927788
    Abstract: A process for recovering ethanol obtained from the hydrogenation of acetic acid. The crude ethanol product is separated in a column to produce a distillate stream comprising acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate and a residue stream comprising ethanol, acetic acid, ethyl acetate and water. The ethanol product is recovered from the residue stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Celanese International Corporation
    Inventors: David Lee, Adam Orosco, Claudio Ribeiro, R. Jay Warner, Robert Alan Deck, Emily Duff, Victor J. Johnston
  • Thermochemically produced ethanol compositions
    Patent number: 8926718
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention is to an ethanol composition comprising at least 92 wt. % ethanol and from 20 wppm to 94 wppm isopropanol. The composition may be free of methanol and acetaldehyde.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Celanese International Corporation
    Inventors: Tatiana H. Sonnenberg, R. Jay Warner, Heiko Weiner
  • Process for the preparation of 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene using a phase transfer catalyst
    Patent number: 8907146
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process in which the fluorination of an organic reactant comprising 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane (240fa) with anhydrous HF is conducted in the presence of an effective amount of a phase-transfer catalyst which facilitates the reaction between these incompatible reaction components to produce 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoro-propene (1233zd). Other organic reactant materials include 1,1,3,3-tetrachloropropene (HCO-1230za), 1,3,3,3-tetrachloropropene (HCO-1230zd), and various mixtures with or without 240fa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Hsueh Sung Tung, Haiyou Wang, Daniel C. Merkel, Stephen A. Cottrell, Konstantin A. Pokrovski, Ian Shankland
  • Synthesis of 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene
    Patent number: 8907147
    Abstract: The present invention provides an improved process for producing 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene. By using a first reactive distillation column for HCC-250fb dehydrochlorination, and a second reactive distillation column for HCC-240db dehydrochlorination/HCC-1230xf isomerization, the 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene manufacturing process can be greatly simplified, resulting in reduced equipment use, energy use, as well as increased productivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Haiyou Wang, Hsueh Sung Tung, Joshua Close, Terris Tianxue Yang
  • Esterification of vapor crude product in the production of alcohols
    Patent number: 8901358
    Abstract: Ethanol production process for recovering ethanol from a crude ethanol product obtained from the hydrogenation of acetic acid. Ethanol recovery is improved by esterifying a vapor crude ethanol product to reduce unreacted acetic acid concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Celanese International Corporation
    Inventors: Radmila Jevtic, Victor Johnston, Lincoln Sarager, R. Jay Warner, Heiko Weiner, Trinity Horton
  • Adsorption process for the dehydration of alcohol
    Patent number: 8901359
    Abstract: The present invention includes a process for the dehydration of ethanol by adsorption of water at elevated pressure and for the regeneration (purging) of adsorbent at a lower pressure than the pressure used for the adsorption of water where the ratio of the duration of the regeneration (purge) step to the duration of the water adsorption step is higher than 0.1 and the temperature of adsorption is greater than 260 degree Fahrenheit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Inventors: Christopher Brown, Marion Simo
  • Synthesis of ethanol from biomass
    Patent number: 8889923
    Abstract: A process for the selective production of ethanol by vapor phase reaction of acetic acid over a hydrogenating catalyst composition to form ethanol is disclosed and claimed. In an embodiment of this invention reaction of acetic acid and hydrogen over either cobalt and palladium supported on graphite or cobalt and platinum supported on silica selectively produces ethanol in a vapor phase at a temperature of about 250° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Celanese International Corporation
    Inventors: Victor J. Johnston, Barbara F. Kimmich, Jan Cornelis van der Waal, James H. Zink, Virginie Zuzaniuk, Josefina T. Chapman, Laiyuan Chen
  • Process for preparing 1, 6-hexanediol
    Patent number: 8889922
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes for preparing 1,6-hexanediol from levoglucosenone. In one embodiment, the process comprises contacting levoglucosenone with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst comprising palladium, platinum/tungsten, nickel/tungsten, rhodium/rhenium, or mixtures thereof at a first temperature between about 50° C. and 100° C. and at a first reaction pressure between about 50 psi and 2000 psi for a first reaction period, and at a second temperature between about 120° C. and 250° C. and at a second pressure between about 500 psi and 2000 psi for a second reaction period to form a product mixture comprising 1,6-hexanediol, wherein the first reaction period is the amount of time in which the levoglucosenone has a conversion of at least about 95%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Alan Martin Allgeier, David Richard Corbin, Wathudura Indika Namal De Silva, Ekaterini Korovessi, Carl Andrew Menning, Joachim C Ritter, Sourav Kumar Sengupta
  • Process to make 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene from 1,1,3-trichloropropene and/or 3,3,3-trichloropropene
    Patent number: 8889929
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process for the synthesis of 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene (HCC-1230xa) using 1,1,3-trichloropropene (HCC-1240za) and/or 3,3,3-trichloropropene (HCC-1240zf) and Cl2 gas as the reactants, wherein the process takes place in a single reactor system. Before this invention, HCC-1230xa was made in a two-step process using HCC-1240za/HCC-1240zf and Cl2 gas, and the processing was conducted using two separate reactors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Terris Yang, Hsueh Sung Tung
  • Method for the synthesis of low cost initiators for telechelic polyisobutylenes
    Patent number: 8889926
    Abstract: A method for the synthesis of 1,3-di(chloropropyl)-5-tert-butyl benzene includes the steps of conducting Friedl-Crafts alkylation of 1,3-diisopropyl benzene by tert-butyl chloride in the presence of an alkylation catalyst to obtain 1-tert-butyl-3,5-diisopropylbenzene; peroxidizing the 1-tert-butyl-3,5-diisopropyl benzene by gaseous oxygen in the presence of a peroxidation catalyst in a basic solution to obtain 1,3-di(peroxypropyl)-5-tert-butylbenzene; reducing the 1,3-di(peroxypropyl)-5-tert-butylbenzene with a reducing agent to 1,3-di(hydroxylpropyl)-5-tert-butylbenzene; and chlorinating the 1,3-di(hydroxypropyl)-5-tert-butylbenzene to obtain 1,3-di(chloropropyl)-5-tert-butyl benzene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: The University of Akron
    Inventors: Joseph P. Kennedy, Gabor Erdodi
  • Process for producing fatty alcohols from fatty acids
    Patent number: 8884078
    Abstract: In a process for the production of fatty alcohol(s) a fatty acid or fatty acid mixture is subjected to esterification with a lower alkanol to form a stream comprising the corresponding lower alkyl ester or esters. The stream is vaporized and subjected to hydrogenation to form a stream comprising fatty alcohol(s) and an amount of unconverted lower alkyl ester(s). This stream is subjected to transesterification in a wax ester reactor in the presence of a solid transesterification catalyst. Fatty alcohol(s) and wax ester(s) are then separated by distillation to yield a fatty alcohol(s) product and a stream comprising wax ester(s). The stream of wax ester(s) is passed to a second hydrogenation zone to effect hydrogenation in the liquid phase to revert the wax ester(s) to fatty alcohol(s), which are returned to the distillation separation step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Davy Process Technology Limited
    Inventors: Paul Appleton, Michael Anthony Wood, Robert Wild
  • Production of hydroxymethylfurfural from levoglucosenone
    Patent number: 8884036
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes comprising contacting an aqueous reaction mixture having an initial pH between about 3 and about 6 and comprising levoglucosenone with a catalyst, and heating the reaction mixture to form a product mixture comprising 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural. The processes may further comprise heating the product mixture comprising 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural in the presence of hydrogen and a hydrogenation catalyst to form a second product mixture comprising one or more of 2,5-furandimethanol, tetrahydrofuran 2,5-dimethanol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, 2-hydroxymethyltetrahydropyran, and 1,6-hexanediol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Wathudura Indika Namal De Silva, Joachim C Ritter, Christina S Stauffer
  • Methods for the dehydrochlorination of 1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane to 1,1,3-trichloropropene
    Patent number: 8877991
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method to improve 1,1,3-trichloropropene selectivity in HCC-250fb (1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane) dehydrochlorination. In normal practice, FeCl3 is used as the catalyst for the dehydrochlorination of HCC-250fb to produce 1,1,3-trichloropropene. In this invention as source of water is added into the reaction system to inhibit the formation of high boiling compounds such as pentachlorocyclohexene and/or hexachlorocyclohexane. Once source of water is H2O itself. Another source of water is one or more hydrated metal halides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Terris Yang, Hsueh Sung Tung, Robert Johnson, Joshua Close
  • Process for making cationic hydrophilic siloxanyl monomers
    Patent number: 8877829
    Abstract: The present invention relates to polymeric compositions useful in the manufacture of biocompatible medical devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to certain cationic monomers capable of polymerization to form polymeric compositions having desirable physical characteristics useful in the manufacture of ophthalmic devices. Such properties include the ability to extract the polymerized medical devices with water. This avoids the use of organic solvents as is typical in the art. The polymeric compositions comprise polymerized cationic hydrophilic siloxanyl monomers prepared by the process disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Bausch & Lomb Incorporated
    Inventors: Derek A. Schorzman, Joseph C. Salamone, Daniel M. Ammon, Jr.
  • Olefin hydration process with an integrated membrane reactor
    Patent number: 8865950
    Abstract: An olefin hydration process and reactor are provided, wherein an integrated membrane selectively removes alcohol product from the reactor, thereby allowing for increased yields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Ibrahim Abba, Aadesh Harale, Stephan Ralf Vogel, Wei Xu
  • Method for manufacturing high-purity sorbitol syrups from sucrose and uses thereof
    Patent number: 8865948
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sorbitol syrup having a total reducing sugar content no higher than 0.2% and mannitol content of less than 1%, with 70 wt % of dry matter. Said manufacturing method is characterized in that it includes the steps of: (a) hydrolyzing a solution of sucrose in a solution of invert sugars, (b) separating the solution of invert sugar by simulated moving bed chromatography into, on the one hand, a dextrose syrup having at least 99.3%, preferably 99.4%, more preferably at least 99.5%, and even more preferably 99.7% of dextrose content and, on the other hand, a fructose syrup having at least 90%, preferably 92% of fructose content, and (c) hydrogenating said dextrose syrup into a sorbitol syrup having a reducing sugar content no higher than 0.2% and a mannitol content of less than 1%, with 70 wt % of dry matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Roquette Freres
    Inventor: Pierrick Duflot
  • Hydroconversion of renewable feedstocks
    Patent number: 8865949
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon conversion process comprises contacting a renewable feedstock under hydroprocessing conditions with supported catalyst comprising at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Group VIII metals, Group VIB metals to form oleochemicals such as fatty alcohols, esters, and normal paraffins. Advantageously, the reaction conditions can be selected to directly convert the renewable feedstock to the desired product(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventor: Cong-Yan Chen
  • Esterifying acetic acid to produce ester feed for hydrogenolysis
    Patent number: 8859827
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are processes for alcohol production by reducing an esterification product, such as ethyl acetate. The processes comprise esterifying an excess molar ratio of acetic acid with an alcohol, such as ethanol, to produce the esterification product. The esterification product is reduced with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to obtain a crude reaction mixture comprising the alcohol, in particular ethanol, which may be separated from the crude reaction mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Celanese International Corporation
    Inventors: R. Jay Warner, Wei Qi, Tatiana H. Sonnenberg