Halometallate Ionic Liquid Catalyst for Renewable Distillate Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional acid catalysts are unable to efficiently oligomerize ethylene to produce distillate-range hydrocarbons with acceptable conversion and selectivity, limiting the production of diesel and jet fuel blendstocks from alcohols.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the dehydration of renewable alcohols to form C2-C6 olefins, followed by separation and oligomerization using a halometallate ionic liquid catalyst, which achieves high conversion and selectivity for distillate-range hydrocarbons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional acid catalysts are used for oligomerization, then the process is simple and cost-effective, but conversion and selectivity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the catalyst by using halometallate ionic liquids instead of conventional Brønsted acid catalysts. This parameter change enables the catalyst to achieve both high conversion (>95%) and high selectivity (>50%) for distillate-range hydrocarbons, resolving the contradiction between productivity and catalyst complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite catalyst systems combining halometallate ionic liquids with specific support materials. This composite approach enhances both the activity (conversion) and selectivity of the catalyst while maintaining manageable process complexity, directly addressing the technical contradiction.
2Manufacturing precision
If high conversion of alcohol is achieved, then oxygenate content decreases, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes process parameters including temperature, pressure, and catalyst concentration to achieve high alcohol conversion (>95%) while maintaining oxygenate content below 1 wt. %. The parameter optimization allows the process to reach manufacturing precision goals without proportionally increasing process complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process achieves high alcohol conversion (>95%) and selectivity (>50%) for distillate-range hydrocarbons with boiling points between 150°C and 400°C, meeting or exceeding ASTM standards for renewable diesel and jet fuels.
Implementation Method 1
contacting the C2-C6 olefin stream with a halometallate ionic liquid catalyst, the halometallate ionic liquid catalyst comprising an organic cation and a halometallate anion, in an oligomerization reactor under oligomerization conditions to form a mixture comprising the halometallate ionic liquid catalyst and an oligomer product
Implementation Method 2
dehydrating a renewable alcohol having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms to form a C2-C6 olefin stream and a water stream
Data Source
AI summary
A process for producing renewable distillate-range hydrocarbons is provided. The process includes dehydrating a renewable C2-C6 alcohol feedstock to produce an olefin, oligomerizing the olefin the presence of a halometallate ionic liquid catalyst to produce an oligomer product and hydrogenating the oligomer product or fractions thereof to produce saturated distillate-range hydrocarbons.