US 12,410,115 B2
Recovery of 3-hydroxypropionic acid
Timothy Walter Abraham, Minnetonka, MN (US); Erik Allen, Minneapolis, MN (US); John J. Hahn, Apple Valley, MN (US); Paraskevas Tsobanakis, Mendota Heights, MN (US); Eric Christopher Bohnert, Minneapolis, MN (US); and Christopher Lawrence Frank, Maple Grove, MN (US)
Assigned to CARGILL, INCORPORATED, Wayzata, MN (US)
Filed by CARGILL, INCORPORATED, Wayzata, MN (US)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/495,722.
Application 18/495,722 is a division of application No. 17/649,392, filed on Jan. 31, 2022, granted, now 11,834,402.
Application 17/649,392 is a continuation of application No. 16/601,034, filed on Oct. 14, 2019, granted, now 11,236,036, issued on Feb. 1, 2022.
Application 16/601,034 is a continuation of application No. 14/776,984, granted, now 10,442,748, issued on Oct. 15, 2019, previously published as PCT/US2014/028745, filed on Mar. 14, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/793,687, filed on Mar. 15, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2024/0076262 A1, Mar. 7, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C07C 51/44 (2006.01); B01D 3/00 (2006.01); B01D 3/10 (2006.01); B01D 3/34 (2006.01); B01D 15/36 (2006.01); C07C 51/41 (2006.01); C07C 51/42 (2006.01); C12P 7/42 (2006.01)
CPC C07C 51/44 (2013.01) [B01D 3/002 (2013.01); B01D 3/10 (2013.01); B01D 3/34 (2013.01); B01D 15/363 (2013.01); C07C 51/412 (2013.01); C07C 51/42 (2013.01); C12P 7/42 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for recovering a composition enriched in 3-hydroxypropionic acid from a fermentation broth comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid and/or salts thereof, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing the fermentation broth having a pH of from about 2 to about 8 comprising:
3-hydroxypropionic acid and/or salts thereof, and
a total sulfate ion and phosphate ion concentration;
(b) acidifying the fermentation broth to lower the pH to from about 1 to about 3 to form an aqueous solution comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid;
(c) reducing the total sulfate ion and phosphate ion concentration of the aqueous solution to produce a reduced ion aqueous solution comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid;
(d) distilling the reduced ion aqueous solution at a pH of from about 1 to about 3 by applying vacuum and heat to the reduced ion aqueous solution to form an aqueous distillation product comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid;
(e) recovering the aqueous distillation product comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid at a concentration of at least thirty percent by weight of the aqueous distillation product and wherein the aqueous distillation product comprises less than five parts by weight acrylic acid per one hundred parts by weight 3-hydroxypropionic acid present;
(f) recovering a distillation bottom stream from distilling step (d);
(g) applying vacuum and heat to the distillation bottom stream; and
(h) recovering a second aqueous distillation product comprising 3-hydroxypropionic acid, wherein water is added to the distillation bottom stream prior to step (g) and wherein the second aqueous distillation product comprises less than about 3 parts by weight acrylic acid per one hundred parts by weight 3-hydroxypropionic acid present in the second aqueous distillation product.