SBIR Phase I: One Step Catalytic Synthesis of Higher Alcohols

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将导致高级醇生产工艺的新技术的开发，这将为从可再生原料生产C6-C13醇（具有6至13个碳）提供具有成本竞争力的方法。C6-C13直链和支链醇用于各种应用，如溶剂、化妆品、增塑剂和表面活性剂，目前全球需求量超过每年500万吨。预期生产这些醇的方法将使资本成本、能量消耗、产生的废物减少至少30%，从而具有替代目前生产高级醇的方法的潜力。这种新工艺的主要好处是用廉价、丰富、国内来源的乙醇替代石油基不可再生原料。这一过程还将允许乙醇生产商将乙醇（0.4美元/磅）转化为更高价值的产品，增塑剂醇，其价格为0.95 - 1.2美元/磅。利用乙醇作为原料生产高价值化学品可以使美国乙醇工业找到乙醇的其他市场，这将补充目前的汽油添加剂市场，并帮助新的纤维素乙醇技术获得市场准入，即使达到混合墙。用于制备高级醇的分步催化方法，该高级醇目前通过使用贵金属基催化剂和石油衍生原料的复杂的多步方法来生产。第一阶段工作的重点将是开发和表征新型催化剂，优化反应条件，了解反应机理和动力学。所提出的一步法工艺需要双功能催化剂，其必须同时充当醇/醛脱氢/氢化催化剂和羟醛缩合催化剂，并且确定合适的催化剂将是项目成功的主要障碍。如果成功，将开发催化剂，其可以在单程固定床反应器中将生物/可再生乙醇（超过20%）转化为具有6至13个碳的增塑剂醇（大于45%的选择性），并且在至少500小时的操作中性能没有变化。目前最好的催化剂可以实现所需的乙醇转化率，但对较重醇的选择性仍然远低于目标。能够满足选择性要求的催化剂的开发将代表该技术开发的重大进步。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will lead to the development of a new technology for a higher alcohols production process that will provide a cost competitive method for producing C6-C13 alcohols (with 6 to 13 carbons) from a renewable feedstock. C6-C13 linear and branched alcohols are used in a variety of applications such as solvents, cosmetics, plasticizers, and surfactants, with a current global demand in excess of 5 million tons per year. It is expected that the process for producing these alcohols will provide at least 30% reduction in capital cost, energy consumption, waste produced and thereby has potential to replace the process by which higher alcohols are currently produced. A major benefit of this new process is substitution of petroleum based non-renewable feedstock with inexpensive, abundant, domestically sourced ethanol. This process will also allow ethanol producers to convert ethanol ($0.4/pound) to a higher value product, plasticizer alcohols, which are priced at $0.95 - $1.2/lb. Utilizing ethanol as a feedstock to make high value chemicals can enable the US ethanol industry to find other markets for ethanol that will supplement the current gasoline additive market and help new cellulosic ethanol technologies gain market access even as the blend wall is reached.This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will enable the development of a one- step catalytic process for making higher alcohols that are currently produced via complicated, multi-step processes employing precious metal-based catalysts and petroleum derived feedstock. The focus of Phase I work will be on developing and characterizing novel catalysts, optimizing reaction conditions and understanding the reaction mechanism and kinetics. The proposed one-step process requires a dual-function catalyst that must both act as an alcohol/aldehyde dehydrogenation/hydrogenation catalyst and an aldol condensation catalyst, and identifying a suitable catalyst will be the major hurdle for project success. If successful, catalyst(s) will be developed that can convert bio/renewable ethanol (more than 20%) into plasticizer alcohols with 6 to 13 carbons (greater than 45% selectivity) in a single-pass fixed-bed reactor with no change in performance for at least 500 hours of operation. The current best catalysts can achieve the required ethanol conversion, but selectivity to heavier alcohols remains well below target. Development of catalysts that can meet the selectivity requirement would represent a major advancement in the development of this technology.