Title: Methods of producing compounds from plant materials

Abstract

The invention includes methods of processing plant material by adding water to form a mixture, heating the mixture, and separating a liquid component from a solid-comprising component. At least one of the liquid component and the solid-comprising component undergoes additional processing. Processing of the solid-comprising component produces oils, and processing of the liquid component produces one or more of glycerol, ethylene glycol, lactic acid and propylene glycol. The invention includes a process of forming glycerol, ethylene glycol, lactic acid and propylene glycol from plant matter by adding water, heating and filtering the plant matter. The filtrate containing starch, starch fragments, hemicellulose and fragments of hemicellulose is treated to form linear poly-alcohols which are then cleaved to produce one or more of glycerol, ethylene glycol, lactic acid and propylene glycol. The invention also includes a method of producing free and/or complexed sterols and stanols from plant material.

Inventors:

Werpy, Todd A ^[1]; Schmidt, Andrew J ^[2]; Frye, Jr., John G. ^[3]; Zacher, Alan H. ^[4]; James A. ^[5]; Mikhail S. ^[6]; Gary G. ^[7]; Eric V. ^[8]; Rick J. ^[9]; Charles A. ^[10]; Kyle E. ^[11]; Anne M. ^[12]; Catherine, J ^[13]

---

+ Show Inventor Affiliations

1. West Richland, WA
2. Richland, WA
3. (Richland, WA)
4. (Kennewick, WA), Franz
5. (Kennewick, WA), Alnajjar
6. (Richland, WA), Neuenschwander
7. (Burbank, WA), Alderson
8. (Kennewick, WA), Orth
9. (Kennewick, WA), Abbas
10. (Champaign, IL), Beery
11. (Decatur, IL), Rammelsberg
12. (Decatur, IL), Kim
13. Decatur, IL

Issue Date:

Tue Jan 26 00:00:00 EST 2010

Research Org.:

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE

OSTI Identifier:

978873

Patent Number(s):

7652131

Application Number:

10/980,928

Assignee:

Battelle Memorial Institute (Richland, WA)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):

C - CHEMISTRY C07 - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY C07C - ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS

C - CHEMISTRY C08 - ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS C08B - POLYSACCHARIDES

Show more

C - CHEMISTRY C07 - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY C07C - ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS

C07C29/00 - Preparation of compounds having hydroxy or O-metal groups bound to a carbon atom not belonging to a six-membered aromatic ring
C07C29/60 - by elimination of -OH groups, e.g. by dehydration
C07C31/202 - {Ethylene glycol}
C07C31/205 - {1,3-Propanediol
C07C31/225 - {Glycerol}

C - CHEMISTRY C08 - ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS C08B - POLYSACCHARIDES

C08B30/10 - Working-up residues from the starch extraction {, e.g. potato peel or steeping water}, including pressing water from the starch-extracted material

C - CHEMISTRY C11 - ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES C11B - PRODUCING

C11B1/10 - by extracting

Show less

DOE Contract Number:  

AC05-76RL01830

Resource Type:

Patent

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY