A process to form a composition comprising an asymmetrical polyene, the asymmetrical polyene comprising an “α,β unsaturated-carbonyl end” and a “C—C double bond end,” the process comprising: reacting an alkene- or polyene-containing alcohol with an alkyl ester of an α,β unsaturated carboxylic acid in the presence of at least the following components A) through C) to form a solution comprising an asymmetrical polyene: A) a lithium salt; B) a component selected from the group consisting of hydroquinone, an alkyl-substituted phenol, a substituted alkyl-substituted phenol, an alkyl-substituted hydroquinone, a substituted alkyl-substituted hydroquinone, and combinations thereof; and C) an N-oxyl-containing compound; wherein the “α,β unsaturated-carbonyl end” of the asymmetrical polyene is selected from the group consisting of structures a) through c), as described herein, and wherein the “C—C double bond end” of the asymmetrical polyene is selected from the group consisting of structures 1) through 17), as described herein.

The present invention is related to a novel and improved process for the production of dehydrolinalyl acetate (DLA), which IUPAC name is acetic acid 1-ethynyl-1,5-dimethyl-hex-4-enyl ester, starting from dehydrolinalool (DLL), which IUPAC name is 3,7-dimethyloct-6-en-1-yn-3-ol, by acetylation.

The present invention relates to the production of biodiesel and alkyl esters by the transesterification of triglyceride esters, with alcohols in heterogeneous phase in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts, with yields higher than 80%, at a temperature from 0 to 300° C., residence time from 20 minutes to 20 h, space velocity of 0.1 to 10 h.sup.−1, pressure of 25-100 kg/cm.sup.2 (24.5-98.07 bar), methanol/oil molar ratio of 10 to 40 and catalyst concentration of 0.001 to 20 weight % based on tri-, di- or monoglyceride. The method produces biodiesel and alkyl esters by transesterification of tri-, di- or mono-glycerides, from palm, jatropha, castor, soybean and sunflower oils, wherein the alcohoxyls R.sup.1O, R.sup.2O and R.sup.3O of the glycerides are C.sub.1 to C.sub.24 and a C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alcohol, such as methanol, in an alcohol:oil ratio from 3:1 to 50:1. The transesterification reaction produces biodiesel while avoiding loss of catalyst, contaminating liquid effluents and eliminating undesirable hydrolysis of triglycerides, diglycerides and monoglycerides into free fatty acids and saponification that generate soaps.

A method for preparing high-content conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) through Purification of vegetable oil includes alcoholysis, purification and isomerization of vegetable oil. Alcoholysis is for preparing corresponding methyl ester or ethyl ester with glyceride; purification of methyl ester or ethyl ester is for obtaining methyl linoleate or ethyl linoleate of content over 85% through silver-based silica gel column chromatography; high-content CLA is obtained after alkali-catalyzed conjugation of methyl linoleate or ethyl linoleate, and CLA products are prepared as needed. This invention changes the status quo of preparing high-content CLA with safflower oil alone, expands sources of CLA, and develops an efficient technology for separation and purification of linoleic acid. The CLA obtained is of high purity and meets applications in pharmaceutical, health care products and other industries.

A method of implementing organic synthesis reactions uses a composition containing a metal catalyst originating from a calcined plant. The plants can be from the Brassicaceae, Sapotaceae and Convolvulaceae family, and the metal catalyst contains metal in the M(II) form such as zinc, nickel, manganese, lead, cadmium, calcium, magnesium or copper. Examples of the organic synthesis reactions include halogenations, electrophilic reactions, cycloadditions, transesterification reactions and coupling reactions, among others.

A method of implementing organic synthesis reactions uses a composition containing a metal catalyst originating from a calcined plant. The plants can be from the Brassicaceae, Sapotaceae and Convolvulaceae family, and the metal catalyst contains metal in the M(II) form such as zinc, nickel, manganese, lead, cadmium, calcium, magnesium or copper. Examples of the organic synthesis reactions include halogenations, electrophilic reactions, cycloadditions, transesterification reactions and coupling reactions, among others.

A method for production of a biodiesel is described herein. The method for production of a biodiesel comprises (a) separating solids from a waste oil composition to provide a clarified oil composition; (b) acidifying the clarified oil composition to produce an acidified oil composition including free fatty acids derived from the waste oil; (c) converting at least a portion of the free fatty acids in the acidified oil composition to glycerides to provide a glyceride composition; and (d) reacting at least a portion of the glycerides in the glyceride composition with methanol to form fatty acid methyl ester to provide a biodiesel composition.

A method for production of a biodiesel is described herein. The method for production of a biodiesel comprises (a) separating solids from a waste oil composition to provide a clarified oil composition; (b) acidifying the clarified oil composition to produce an acidified oil composition including free fatty acids derived from the waste oil; (c) converting at least a portion of the free fatty acids in the acidified oil composition to glycerides to provide a glyceride composition; and (d) reacting at least a portion of the glycerides in the glyceride composition with methanol to form fatty acid methyl ester to provide a biodiesel composition.

A process for conducting equilibrium-limited chemical reactions that produce water as a reaction product. Specifically, a process that uses a reactive chromatography unit (RCU) to improve the efficiency of equilibrium-limited reactions, such as a process for reacting glycol ether (GE) and carboxylic acid (CA) to form water and glycol ether ester (GEE). The process includes supplying GE and CA to the RCU, where one of either the CA or the GE is in a stoichiometric deficit relative to the other reactant. The reactant in the stoichiometric deficit reacts in the presence of the catalyst in the RCU to form a mixture of GEE and water. A raffinate is separated from the mixture using the separation media of the RCU contains at least the GEE. An extract separated from the mixture using the separation media of the RCU contains at least the water.

This invention relates to a method for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into ethyl esters of carboxylic acids. Said method consists of treating the biomass material with an oxidizing agent that is incorporated in an solution comprising one or more acids, one or more alcohols and water, and subsequently performing a catalytic reaction at a higher temperature using the same acidic solution into which a larger volume of alcohol is added, in such a way that the catalytic conversion occurs in a medium with a much higher concentration of alcohol, i.e. with a much higher alcohol-to-water wt ratio. Such a method results in relatively high yields of ethyl esters, such as ethyl esters of formic, acetic, and levulinic acids, while producing a low yield of dialkyl ethers, which are unwanted by-products. The concentration of the oxidizing agent in the pre-treatment step is preferably higher than 6.0 wt %. The oxidizing agent is preferably a Fenton or Fenton-type reagent, and most preferably hydrogen peroxide activated by Fe (II), and/or Ti (IV) ions. The alcohol is preferably ethanol, and when ethanol is used, diethyl ether is formed as the unwanted dialkyl ether by-product. Preferably, the biomass material is pelleted before treatment.