March 21/Alexandria, Va./U.S. Fed News -- U.S. patent no. 7,906,663, issued on March 15, 2011, was assigned to IFP Energies Nouvelles (Rueil Malmaison Cedex, France).

"Process for Co-Producing Olefins and Diesters Or Diacids Starting from Unsaturated Fats" was invented by Helene Olivier-Bourbigou (Saint Genis Laval, France), Christophe Vallee (Fontaine, France) and Gerard Hillion (Herblay, France).

According to the abstract released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, "In order to produce both an olefinic fraction and a composition of diacids or diesters of fats, a process is carried out which comprises, in succession: a) metathesis of an unsaturated fat with ethylene in the presence of at least one non-aqueous ionic liquid; b) separating and recycling the ionic liquid used in the first step; c) separating, by distillation, the olefinic fraction (fraction A) from the unsaturated fat mono-ester or mono-basic acid fraction (fraction B) formed in step a); d) homometathesis of the mono-unsaturated fat ester or acid cut (fraction B) which allows the co-production of unsaturated fat diesters or diacids (fraction C) and ethylene which is recycled to the first methathesis step of the process; and e) optionally, recycling the ionic liquid containing the catalyst used in step d). Of particular application to an oleic sunflower oil, an oleic rapeseed oil or to a mixture of mono-alcohol esters of said oils, whereupon the process can produce both an olefinic fraction (mainly composed of 1-decene) and a composition of diesters or diacids wherein, in general, over half of the chains is constituted by unsaturated C18 chains (mainly composed of octadecene-9 1,18-iacid or diester) and to recycle the ethylene employed."

The patent was filed on Jan. 23, 2007, under Application No. 11/626,077.

For further information please visit: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=7906663&OS=7906663&RS=7906663

From the March 22, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News
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