Inventors:
Justin Pendleton - Salt Lake City UT, US
Sai Bhavaraju - West Jordan UT, US
International Classification:
C07C 41/09, C25C 7/06
US Classification:
568698, 568635, 568632, 205350
Abstract:
A dialkyl or diaryl ether is produced by reacting carbon dioxide with a metal alcoholate having the formula, M(RO), where “M” is a Group 1, Group 2, or Group 3 metal; “x” is the valence of the metal M; “R” is a Cto Clower alkyl or aryl, wherein the reaction produces a dialkyl or diaryl ether having a formula, R—O—R, and a metal carbonate having a formula MCOwhere M is a Group 1 metal, MCOwhere M is a Group 2 metal, and M(CO)where M is a Group 3 metal. The metal carbonate may be removed by conventional means, such as filtration. The dialkyl or diaryl ether may be recovered and used as a fuel, fuel additive, propellant, or building block for other fuels or petrochemicals. In some cases the metal alcoholate is in an alcohol solution and the alcohol and metal carbonate are recycled to regenerate the metal alcoholate. A specific example of dimethyl ether production is disclosed.