Process for the Production of Hydrocarbons for Fuels, Solvents, and Other Hydrocarbon Products

Abstract

Catalytic processes for converting carboxylic acids obtained from biomass and other natural or industrial sources into paraffinic or olefinic hydrocarbons through decarboxylation, along with products formed from such hydrocarbons, in which the carbon chain length, the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12, and the ratio of odd number to even number of carbons in the chain are among factors which are indicative or otherwise useful for the detection of hydrocarbons formed by undergoing the claimed processes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A process for converting fatty acids to paraffinic hydrocarbons, comprising the steps of:
 contacting carboxylic acid reactants with a catalyst over a support; and   isolating paraffinic hydrocarbon products from other reaction products;   wherein the carboxylic acid reactants have a chemical formula represented by R-COOH, R has at least six and no more than twenty-four carbon atoms, the basicity of the catalyst is at least approximately 0.1 mEq, the catalyst is chosen from the group platinum, palladium, nickel, nickel-molybdenum, nickel-tungsten, and platinum-copper, and the support is chosen from the group hydrotalcite, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, a mixed oxide of ceria-zirconia, and lanthanum oxide; and   wherein carboxylic acid reactants are derived from a feedstock, which is chosen from the group plant oils, animal fats, animal oils, algae oils, and oils from heterotrophic microbial organisms.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the yeast is an oleaginous yeast. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the plant oils are chosen from the group jatropha oil, camelina oil, pennycress oil, pongamia oil, and carinata oil. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein branched paraffinic hydrocarbons comprise less than about  5 % by mass of the total reaction products, the remainder of the paraffinic hydrocarbon products being linear. 
     
     
         5 . A process for converting fatty acids to paraffinic hydrocarbons comprising the steps of  claim 4 , further comprising a reaction step of contacting at least one of the linear, paraffinic hydrocarbon products with a hydroisomerization catalyst to form at least one branched hydrocarbon. 
     
     
         6 . A paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 1 , wherein the weighted average chain length of the paraffinic hydrocarbon products is greater than about 80% of the weighted average chain length of the carboxylic acid feedstock. 
     
     
         7 . A paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 1 , wherein the ratio of hydrocarbons having an odd number of carbons to hydrocarbons having an even-number of carbons is about 4:1 or higher. 
     
     
         8 . A paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 1 , wherein the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 is about 10 −12  or higher. 
     
     
         9 . A paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 5  for of use as aviation turbine fuel, the paraffinic hydrocarbon product having a boiling point of about 180° C. to about 300° C., wherein the paraffinic hydrocarbon product for use as aviation turbine fuel satisfies American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D7566. 
     
     
         10 . A mixture comprising at least one paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 5  and at least one monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon chosen from the group benzene, toluene, and xylene, wherein the mixture is for use as aviation gas having an octane rating of at least about 100 and a boiling point range of about 20° C. to about 175° C. 
     
     
         11 . The mixture of  claim 10 , having a tetraethyl lead content no greater than about 0.53 mL/L, wherein the mixture for use as aviation gas satisfies American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D7719. 
     
     
         12 . A paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 5  for of use as gasoline, the paraffinic hydrocarbon product having a boiling point of about 35° C. to about 200° C., wherein the paraffinic hydrocarbon product satisfies American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D4814-11B. 
     
     
         13 . A paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 1 , wherein such product is capable of being converted to a chlorinated paraffin having an average carbon chain length of at least about 14 carbons. 
     
     
         14 . A formulation for an end use chosen from the group solvent, degreaser, and cleaning fluid, comprising a paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 5 . 
     
     
         15 . A cleaning fluid comprising a paraffinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 5 , wherein the cleaning fluid has a flash point above about 140° F. and a volatile organic content (VOC) no greater than about 25 g/L. 
     
     
         16 . A process for converting fatty acids to olefinic hydrocarbons, comprising the steps of:
 contacting carboxylic acid reactants with a catalyst over a support; and   isolating olefinic hydrocarbon products from other reaction products;   wherein the carboxylic acid reactants have a chemical formula represented by R-COOH, R has at least six and no more than twenty-four carbon atoms, the basicity of the catalyst is at least approximately 0.1 mEq, the catalyst is chosen from the group platinum, palladium, nickel, nickel-molybdenum, nickel-tungsten, and platinum-copper, and the support is chosen from the group hydrotalcite, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, a mixed oxide of ceria-zirconia, and lanthanum oxide; and   wherein carboxylic acid reactants are derived from a feedstock, which is c chosen from the group plant oils, animal fats, animal oils, algae oils, and oils from heterotrophic microbial organisms.   
     
     
         17 . An olefinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 16 , wherein the ratio of hydrocarbons having an odd number of carbons to hydrocarbons having an even-number of carbons is about 4:1 or higher. 
     
     
         18 . An olefinic hydrocarbon product formed by the process of  claim 16 , wherein the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 is about 10 −12  or higher.