Paraffin compositions including mainly even carbon number paraffins, and a method for manufacturing the same, is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the method involves contacting naturally occurring fatty acid/glycerides with hydrogen in a slurry bubble column reactor containing bimetallic catalysts with equivalent particle diameters from about 10 to about 400 micron. The even carbon number compositions are particularly useful as phase change material.

Disclosed is a method of producing an estolide having high structural stability, including: a) preparing a fatty acid mixture from biomass-derived oil; b) separating the fatty acid mixture into a C16 fatty acid and a C18 fatty acid; c) converting the C18 fatty acid into a C18 or C17 linear internal olefin; and d) subjecting the C18 or C17 linear internal olefin and the C16 fatty acid to an estolide reaction, thus obtaining an estolide.

The invention relates to a method for extracting hydrocarbon mixtures that have an increased proportion of hydrocarbons of a medium chain length (8 to 16 carbon atoms), or the corresponding pure compounds. Firstly, a starting material is provided that includes at least 50 wt. % unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds having oxygen. The compounds include olefin fragments of the formula —C.sub.1C.sub.xH.sub.2x—CH═CH—C.sub.yH2.sub.y+1 with at least 14 carbon atoms, carbon atom (C.sub.1) being saturated with substituted or unsubstituted heteroatoms and/or hydrogen. In a conversion reactor, this starting material is brought into contact with a porous catalyst based on carbon, in the absence of oxygen, and at a temperature of between 200 and 800° C.; and a product mixture that contains hydrocarbons is produced containing an increased proportion of hydrocarbons with medium chain lengths. Finally, the product mixture including hydrocarbons is collected and fed to a separating device in which a product separation is carried out.

Provided herein are methods for producing α,β-unsaturated ketones from the condensation of methyl ketones in the presence of an amine catalyst. Such amine catalysts may be supported, for example, on a silica-alumina support. Such amine catalysts may be used in the presence of an additional acid. The α,β-unsaturated ketones may be produced by dimerization and/or timerization of the methyl ketones. Such α,β-unsaturated ketones may be suitable for use in producing fuels, gasoline additives, and/or lubricants, or precursors thereof. The methyl ketones may be obtained from renewable sources, such as by the fermentation of biomass.

A phosphorous modified zeolite (A) can be made by a process that includes selecting a zeolite, steaming the zeolite, leaching the zeolite, separating solids from liquid, and calcining. An olefin product can be made from an oxygen-containing, halogenide-containing or sulphur-containing organic feedstock by contacting the feedstock with the phosphorous modified zeolite (A) in an XTO reactor under conditions effective to convert at least a portion of the feedstock to olefin products. The XTO reactor effluent can include light olefins and a heavy hydrocarbon fraction. The light olefins can be separated from the heavy hydrocarbon fraction. The heavy hydrocarbon fraction can be contacted in an OCP reactor at conditions effective to convert at least a portion of the heavy hydrocarbon fraction to light olefins.

Provided herein are methods of processing polyester-containing feedstocks to provide hydrocarbon products. Exemplary feedstocks include those containing estolide compounds, which may be processed under thermal and/or catalytic conditions to provide at least one hydrocarbon product.

The invention concerns a process for the production of butadiene from an ethanol feed comprising at least 80% by weight of ethanol, comprising at least one step A) for the conversion of ethanol into acetaldehyde A), a step B) for converting an ethanol/acetaldehyde mixture into butadiene, a step C1) for hydrogen treatment, a step D1) for butadiene extraction, a first butadiene purification step D2), a subsequent butadiene purification step D3), an effluent treatment step E1), a step E2) for eliminating impurities and brown oils and a step F) for scrubbing with water.

The present invention relates to a process for producing butadiene from ethanol, in two reaction steps, comprising a step a) of converting ethanol into acetaldehyde and a step b) of conversion into butadiene, said step b) simultaneously implementing a reaction step and a regeneration step in (n+n/2) fixed-bed reactors, n being equal to 4 or a multiple thereof, comprising a catalyst, said regeneration step comprising four successive regeneration phases, said step b) also implementing three regeneration loops.

Production of 1,3-butadiene ethanol, that is more than 50% of the total weight of feedstock: A) conversion of feedstock and of ethanol effluent from separation B to a conversion effluent being a majority of 1,3-butadiene, water and ethylene, and to a hydrogen effluent, operating at a pressure between 0.1 and 1.0 MPa, a temperature between 300 and 500° C. in the presence of at least one catalyst; B) separation of conversion effluent originating from A and hydration effluent from C to an ethanol effluent, a butadiene effluent, a water effluent and an ethylene effluent; C) hydration of ethylene fed by ethylene effluent and/or water effluent both from separation B, to produce an ethanol hydration effluent then being recycled to separation B.

Production of 1,3-butadiene ethanol, that is more than 50% of the total weight of feedstock: A) conversion of feedstock and of ethanol effluent from separation B to a conversion effluent being a majority of 1,3-butadiene, water and ethylene, and to a hydrogen effluent, operating at a pressure between 0.1 and 1.0 MPa, a temperature between 300 and 500° C. in the presence of at least one catalyst; B) separation of conversion effluent originating from A and hydration effluent from C to an ethanol effluent, a butadiene effluent, a water effluent and an ethylene effluent; C) hydration of ethylene fed by ethylene effluent and/or water effluent both from separation B, to produce an ethanol hydration effluent then being recycled to separation B.