Patents by Inventor Rae L. Spencer

Rae L. Spencer 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).

  • Alternative paths to alcohols and hydrocarbons from biomass
    Patent number: 8519206
    Abstract: A method of producing hydrocarbons from biomass that includes converting at least a portion of the biomass into a first product having at least one of a carboxylic acid, a ketone, an ammonium carboxylate salt, and combinations thereof; converting at least a portion of the first product into an alcohol; reacting at least some of the alcohol in an oligomerization reactor as part of a process that produces an oligomerization product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignees: The Texas A&M University Systems, EE-Terrabon Biofuels LLC
    Inventors: Mark T. Holtzapple, Cesar B. Granda, Sebastian Taco, Michael Kyle Ross, Gary Luce, John A. Spencer, Rae L. Spencer
  • Alternative paths to alcohols and hydrocarbons from biomass
    Patent number: 8410321
    Abstract: A method of producing alcohols, hydrocarbons, or both from biomass, the method including converting biomass into a carboxylic acid; reacting the carboxylic acid with an olefin to produce an ester; and hydrogenolyzing the ester to produce alcohol. The steps of reacting the carboxylic acid with an olefin to produce an ester, and hydrogenolyzing the ester to produce an alcohol, may both be carried out in the same reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: EE-Terrabon Biofuels LLC
    Inventors: Mark T. Holtzapple, Cesar B. Granda, Sebastian Taco, Michael Kyle Ross, Gary Luce, John A. Spencer, Rae L. Spencer
  • Alternative paths to alcohols and hydrocarbons from biomass
    Patent number: 8232440
    Abstract: A method of producing alcohols, hydrocarbons, or both from biomass by converting biomass into a carboxylic acid, reacting the carboxylic acid with an olefin to produce an ester and hydrogenolyzing the ester to produce alcohol. A method of producing hydrocarbons from biomass by converting at least a portion of the biomass into a carboxylic acid, a ketone, or an ammonium carboxylate salt, reacting at least one of a portion of the carboxylic acid, a portion of the ketone, or a portion of the ammonium carboxylate salt in an oligomerization reactor as at least part of a process that produces an oligomerization product and separating hydrocarbons from the oligomerization product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignees: The Texas A&M University System, Terrabon Mix-Alco, LLC
    Inventors: Mark T. Holtzapple, Cesar B. Granda, Sebastian Taco-Vasquez, Michael Kyle Ross, Gary Luce, John A. Spencer, Rae L. Spencer
  • Removal and recycling of catalysts in chlorinated pricess streams
    Patent number: 4827060
    Abstract: A catalyst, such as FeCl.sub.3, useful in the production of chlorinated hydrocarbons such as 1,1-dichloroethane is removed from the effluent of a process reactor and recycled. Hydrochloric acid is removed from the process stream resulting in the catalyst present in the process stream in solution precipitating out of solution. Then it can be removed from the process stream by conventional separation techniques. Alternatively, the catalyst present in the process stream as a solid, without the removal of HCl, is separated from the liquid present by means of a cyclone and recycled. In both cases, the catalyst retains its catalytic activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventors: Thomas E. Morris, Rae L. Spencer, Gerald A. Gimber