Process for upgrading low value renewable oils

Abstract

Steps in the processing of oils derived from plants or vegetables include the degumming, deodorizing and bleaching of the oil before it can be used for further applications. By eliminating one or more of these steps from the processing of the oil, followed by hydrogenating the oil to a specified degree of hydrogenation, the resulting upgraded oils can be incorporated into products having commercial applications. The process uses a high shear mixing device and a hydrogenation catalyst. The process can utilize a single or multiple high shear devices, and utilize renewable oils instead of increasingly scarce petroleum based products. The resulting hydrogenated products may then be utilized in a variety of other commercial applications, such as to render cellulosic products water resistant, provide a coating for numerous cellulosic products, adhesive compositions, ink compositions, firelog compositions, drilling muds or asphalt modifiers.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A hot-melt adhesive composition, the adhesive composition comprising:
 (a) about 25% to about 35% by weight of a thermoplastic copolymer comprising an ethylene containing copolymer, the copolymer being selected from the group consisting of an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, and copolymers and terpolymers thereof,   the copolymer having a vinyl acetate content from about 18% to about 28%;   (b) about 15% to about 40% by weight of a tackifier resin; and   (c) about 15 to about 35% by weight of an upgraded hydrogenated oil produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and 
 forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm. 
   
     
     
         2 . An ink composition, comprising:
 between 20%-60% weight percent of an acrylic resin dispersion;   between 5%-30% weight percent of a pigment;   between 0.5%-10% weight percent of an alcohol;   between 20%-75% weight percent of an aqueous solvent; and   between 0.5% to 5% weight percent of an upgraded hydrogenated oil produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and 
 forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm. 
   
     
     
         3 . A fire log comprising:
 an organic fibrous substrate;   upgraded hydrogenated oil absorbed onto the fibrous organic substrate, the enhanced hydrogenated oil produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and 
 forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm; and 
   a wax casing enclosing the organic fibrous substrate, wherein the content of the upgraded hydrogenated oil ranges from about 50% to about 85% by weight thereof.   
     
     
         4 . A fire log composition comprising:
 a combustible material;   an upgraded hydrogenated oil produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and 
 forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm; and 
   a wax.   
     
     
         5 . A composition for application to a fibrous cellulosic material, the composition comprising a hydrogenated oil produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and   forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm;   the composition applied in a quantity to render the cellulosic material resistant to water, the applied composition being repulpable in a warm aqueous alkaline solution.   
     
     
         6 . A water-oil emulsion comprising:
 about 10% to about 50%, based on the total weight of the emulsion, of a hydrogenated vegetable oil, the hydrogenated vegetable oil being produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and 
 forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm; 
   the hydrogenated vegetable oil being characterized by having an iodine value ranging from about 0 to about 100;   about 50% to about 90% by weight water, based on the total weight of the emulsion;   about 1% to about 25% by weight of a surface-active agent, based on the total weight of the emulsion; and   about 0.02% to about 2.5% of an acid or base, based on the total weight of the emulsion.   
     
     
         7 . A composition to render a gypsum product water resistant, the composition comprising a hydrogenated oil produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and   forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm;   the hydrogenated oil having an iodine value ranging from about 0 to about 100, and the composition being added to the gypsum in a quantity sufficient to render the gypsum product water resistant.   
     
     
         8 . Use of a hydrogenated oil produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and   forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm,   wherein the hydrogenated oil is added to a drilling mud in a quantity sufficient to prevent loss of fluid from the drilling mud.   
     
     
         9 . Use of a hydrogenated oil produced by:
 subjecting an oil feedstock and hydrogen to high shear in at least one high shear device; wherein the at least one high shear device comprises a vessel containing the oil feedstock and at least one inlet for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion; and   forming the dispersion in the high shear device whereby the hydrogen reacts with the oil feedstock to saturate at least a portion of the oil feedstock, whereby the dispersion comprises hydrogen bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm,   wherein the hydrogenated oil is added to an asphalt composition in a quantity sufficient to improve the properties of the asphalt composition.   
     
     
         10 . A system for the hydrogenation of a renewable oil feedstock, the system comprising:
 at least one high shear device comprising:   at least one inlet for a stream comprising the renewable oil and at least one for a stream comprising hydrogen gas, and comprising an outlet for a dispersion;   at least one toothed rotor/stator pair separated by a clearance;   an outlet for a dispersion comprising hydrogen gas bubbles having an average bubble size of less than about 5 μm; and   at least one vessel downstream of the at least one high shear device.   
     
     
         11 . The system as described in  claim 10 , further comprising a vessel coupled to the high shear device, the vessel configured for receiving a partially hydrogenated oil from the high shear device. 
     
     
         12 . The system as described in  claim 11 , wherein the vessel further comprises an outlet for a recycle stream, the outlet for the recycle stream being fluidly connected with the inlet for a stream comprising the oil feedstock. 
     
     
         13 . The process as described in  claim 10 , wherein the oil feedstock is selected from the group consisting of soybean, rape seed, sunflower, safflower, palm, palm kernel, coconut, cottonseed, wheat germ, olive, corn, hemp, crambe, peanut, canola, jatropha plant, castor bean, coriander, hazelnut, hempseed, mango kernel, meadowfoam, palm olein, palm stearin, palm kernel olein, palm kernel stearin, peanut, rice bran, sasanqua, sunflower seed, tsubaki and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The process as described in  claim 13 , wherein the oil feedstock has not been decolorized. 
     
     
         15 . The process as described in  claim 13 , wherein the oil feedstock oil has not been bleached. 
     
     
         16 . The process as described in  claim 13 , wherein the oil feedstock oil has not been deodorized. 
     
     
         17 . The system as described in  claim 10 , wherein the at least one rotor is rotatable at a tip speed of at least 22.9 m/s (4,500 ft/min), wherein the tip speed is defined as πDn, where D is the diameter of the rotor and n is the frequency of revolution. 
     
     
         18 . The system as described in  claim 17 , wherein the at least one rotor is able to provide shear rate of at least 20,000 s −1  during operation, wherein the shear rate is defined as the tip speed divided by the shear gap, and wherein the tip speed is defined as πDn, where D is the diameter of the rotor and n is the frequency of revolution. 
     
     
         19 . The system as described in  claim 10 , wherein the at least one rotor is separated from the at least one stator by a shear gap in the range of from about 0.02 mm to about 5 mm, wherein the shear gap is the minimum distance between the at least one rotor and the at least one stator. 
     
     
         20 . The system as described in  claim 10 , wherein the high shear device comprises at least two generators, wherein each generator comprises a rotor and a complementary shaped stator. 
     
     
         21 . The system as described in  claim 10 , further comprising more than one high shear device.