Patents by Inventor Bruce M. Vrana

Bruce M. Vrana has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Recovery of butanol from a mixture of butanol, water, and an organic extractant
    Patent number: 8569552
    Abstract: A process for recovering butanol from a mixture comprising a water-immiscible organic extractant, water, butanol, and optionally a non-condensable gas, is provided. The butanol is selected from 1-butanol, 2-butanol, isobutanol, and mixtures thereof. An overhead stream from a first distillation column is condensed to recover a mixed condensate. An entrainer is added to at least one appropriate process stream or vessel such that the mixed condensate comprises sufficient entrainer to provide phase separation of the organic and the aqueous phases to provide for recovery of the butanol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC
    Inventors: Michael Charles Grady, William D Parten, Bruce M Vrana, Yihui Tom Xu, Joseph J Zaher
  • Recovery of butanol from a mixture of butanol, water, and an organic extractant
    Patent number: 8563788
    Abstract: A process for recovering butanol from a mixture comprising a water-immiscible organic extractant, water, butanol, and optionally a non-condensable gas, is provided. The butanol is selected from 1-butanol, 2-butanol, isobutanol, and mixtures thereof. The extractant comprises at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of C7 to C22 fatty alcohols, C7 to C22 fatty acids, esters of C7 to C22 fatty acids, C7 to C22 fatty aldehydes, and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC
    Inventors: Michael Charles Grady, William D Parten, Bruce M Vrana, Yihui Tom Xu, Joseph J Zaher
  • RECOVERY OF BUTANOL FROM A MIXTURE OF BUTANOL, WATER, AND AN ORGANIC EXTRACTANT
    Publication number: 20130001062
    Abstract: A process for recovering butanol from a mixture comprising a water-immiscible organic extractant, water, butanol, and optionally a non-condensable gas, is provided. The butanol is selected from 1-butanol, 2-butanol, isobutanol, and mixtures thereof. The extractant comprises at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of C7 to C22 fatty alcohols, C7 to C22 fatty acids, esters of C7 to C22 fatty acids, C7 to C22 fatty aldehydes, and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: BUTAMAX(TM) ADVANCED BIOFUELS LLC
    Inventors: MICHAEL CHARLES GRADY, William D. Parten, Bruce M. Vrana, Yihui Tom Xu, Joseph J. Zaher
  • RECOVERY OF BUTANOL FROM A MIXTURE OF BUTANOL, WATER, AND AN ORGANIC EXTRACTANT
    Publication number: 20130001061
    Abstract: A process for recovering butanol from a mixture comprising a water-immiscible organic extractant, water, butanol, and optionally a non-condensable gas, is provided. The butanol is selected from 1-butanol, 2-butanol, isobutanol, and mixtures thereof. An overhead stream from a first distillation column is condensed to recover a mixed condensate. An entrainer is added to at least one appropriate process stream or vessel such that the mixed condensate comprises sufficient entrainer to provide phase separation of the organic and the aqueous phases to provide for recovery of the butanol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: BUTAMAX(TM) ADVANCED BIOFUELS LLC
    Inventors: Michael Charles GRADY, William D. PARTEN, Bruce M. VRANA, Yihui Tom XU, Joseph J. ZAHER
  • Process for providing ethanol
    Patent number: 7666282
    Abstract: The invention is a process for the purification of ethanol. In one embodiment the process includes boiling a degassed beer feed (106) in a pre-boiler (110) to provide a vapor by-pass fraction (112) that by-passes the conventional beer column and is fed into the rectifier column (124). The process allows free capacity in the rectifier column of new or established plants to be filled by ethanol-water vapor and/or condensate streams that do not originate from the beer column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Robert G. Sylvester, Stephen Thomas Breske, David A. Culver, Bruce M. Vrana