Ester fuels and chemicals from biomass.
Bench-scale research demonstrated that using an efficient esterification step to integrate an ethanol with a carboxylic acid fermentation stream offers potential for producing valuable ester feedstocks and fuels. Polar organic acids from bacterial fermentations are difficult to extract and purify, but formation of the ammonium salts and their conversion to esters facilitates the purifications. An improved esterification procedure gave high yields of esters, and this method will lower the cost of ester production. Fuel characteristics have been determined for a number of ester-gasoline blends with promising results for lowering Reid vapor pressure and raising octane numbers.
Energy & Environmental Research Center, University of North Dakota, PO Box 9018, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9018, USA. eolson@undeerc.org
Edwin S
ES
Olson
Ted R
TR
Aulich
Ramesh
R
Sharma
Ronald C
RC
Timpe
D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004952:Esters / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005285:Fermentation; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D005742:Gasoline
D004952:Esters; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D005742:Gasoline