A process for the production of normal-butanol, iso-butanol and 2-alkyl alkanol is disclosed. The process comprises: hydrogenating a feed comprising normal butyraldehyde, iso-butyraldehyde and 2-alkyl alkenal to form a crude product stream comprising normal-butanol, iso-butanol, 2-alkyl alkanol, unreacted normal butyraldehyde, unreacted iso-butyraldehyde and one or more of unreacted 2-alkyl alkenal, 2-alkyl alkanal or 2-alkyl alkenol; separating the crude product stream to produce: a mixed butanol stream having higher concentrations of normal butanol, iso-butanol, unreacted normal butyraldehyde and unreacted iso-butyraldehyde than the crude product stream; and a crude 2-alkyl alkanol stream having higher concentrations of 2-alkyl alkanol and the one or more of unreacted 2-alkyl alkenal, 2-alkyl alkanal or 2-alkyl alkenol than the crude product stream; separating the mixed butanol stream to produce: a refined normal butanol stream having a higher concentration of normal butanol than the mixed butanol stream; and a crude iso-butanol stream having a higher concentration of iso-butanol than the mixed butanol stream; feeding the crude iso-butanol stream to a first polishing hydrogenation reactor wherein at least some of the unreacted iso-butyraldehyde is converted to iso-butanol to produce a polished iso-butanol stream; separating the polished iso-butanol stream to produce: a refined iso-butanol stream having a higher concentration of iso-butanol than the polished iso-butanol stream; and a light waste stream; separating the crude 2-alkyl alkanol stream to produce: an intermediate 2-alkyl alkanol stream having higher concentrations of 2-alkyl alkanol and the one or more of unreacted 2-alkyl alkenal, 2-alkyl alkanal or 2-alkyl alkenol than the crude 2-alkyl alkanol stream; and a heavy waste stream; feeding the intermediate 2-alkyl alkanol stream to a second polishing hydrogenation reactor wherein at least some of the one or more of unreacted 2-alkyl alkenal, 2-alkyl alkanal or 2-alkyl alkenol is converted to 2-alkyl alkanol to produce a polished 2-alkyl alkanol stream having a higher concentration of 2-alkyl alkanol than the intermediate 2-alkyl alkanol stream; separating the polished 2-alkyl alkanol stream to produce: a refined 2-alkyl alkanol stream having a higher concentration of 2-alkyl alkanol than the polished 2-alkyl alkanol stream; and an intermediate waste stream.

The invention provides crystalline forms of solvates of tryptophan derivatives of compound (1), compositions comprising them, processes for their preparations and methods of use thereof.

A method of purifying an organic solvent is provided. The method includes introducing an organic solvent into a membrane distillation system. The membrane distillation system includes a perfluorodioxole membrane. The method includes performing a distillation technique with the membrane distillation system using the perfluorodioxole membrane to treat and purify the organic solvent.

A method of purifying an organic solvent is provided. The method includes introducing an organic solvent into a membrane distillation system. The membrane distillation system includes a perfluorodioxole membrane. The method includes performing a distillation technique with the membrane distillation system using the perfluorodioxole membrane to treat and purify the organic solvent.

The present invention provides a method for selectively producing an alcohol by efficiently hydrogenating a lactone. The present invention is a method for producing an alcohol, the method including hydrogenating a substrate lactone represented by Formula (1), in the presence of a catalyst described below, to produce an alcohol that is represented by Formula (2).

In the formulae, R represents a divalent hydrocarbon group which may have a hydroxyl group.

The catalyst comprises: metal species including M.sub.1 and M.sub.2; and a support supporting the metal species, and wherein M.sub.1 is rhodium, platinum, ruthenium, iridium, or palladium; M.sub.2 is tin, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, or rhenium; and the support is hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, hydrotalcite, or ZrO.sub.2.

##STR00001##

The present invention provides a method for selectively producing an alcohol by efficiently hydrogenating a lactone. The present invention is a method for producing an alcohol, the method including hydrogenating a substrate lactone represented by Formula (1), in the presence of a catalyst described below, to produce an alcohol that is represented by Formula (2).

In the formulae, R represents a divalent hydrocarbon group which may have a hydroxyl group.

The catalyst comprises: metal species including M.sub.1 and M.sub.2; and a support supporting the metal species, and wherein M.sub.1 is rhodium, platinum, ruthenium, iridium, or palladium; M.sub.2 is tin, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, or rhenium; and the support is hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, hydrotalcite, or ZrO.sub.2.

##STR00001##

The disclosure relates to a device for fermentation integrated with separation and purification of acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) or butanol alone, including a medium tank (1), used for supplying a medium into a bioreactor; a bioreactor (2), connected with the medium tank (1), used for fermentation; a gas distributor (9), used for supplying gas bubble to the fermentation broth; a membrane separation unit (4), with gas communication to the bioreactor (2), used for receiving a gas with ABE or butanol from the bioreactor and separating ABE or butanol; a condensation unit (5), used for recovering ABE or butanol; a vacuum manometer (6) and a vacuum pump (8), used for supplying a force for driving ABE or butanol in a vapor form; and product tank (7), used for receiving a product.

The disclosure relates to a device for fermentation integrated with separation and purification of acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) or butanol alone, including a medium tank (1), used for supplying a medium into a bioreactor; a bioreactor (2), connected with the medium tank (1), used for fermentation; a gas distributor (9), used for supplying gas bubble to the fermentation broth; a membrane separation unit (4), with gas communication to the bioreactor (2), used for receiving a gas with ABE or butanol from the bioreactor and separating ABE or butanol; a condensation unit (5), used for recovering ABE or butanol; a vacuum manometer (6) and a vacuum pump (8), used for supplying a force for driving ABE or butanol in a vapor form; and product tank (7), used for receiving a product.

Provided are two-stage processes by which primary alcohols such as ethanol or 1-butanol are converted into distillate-range ethers and olefins utilizing Guerbet coupling followed by intermolecular dehydration. The ethers can be used, for example, as cetane-improvers in diesel fuel, while the olefins can be hydrogenated to afford paraffins.

Provided are two-stage processes by which primary alcohols such as ethanol or 1-butanol are converted into distillate-range ethers and olefins utilizing Guerbet coupling followed by intermolecular dehydration. The ethers can be used, for example, as cetane-improvers in diesel fuel, while the olefins can be hydrogenated to afford paraffins.