METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF SHORT CHAIN CARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND ESTERS FROM BIOMASS AND PRODUCT OF SAME

摘要

A method for producing a mixture of short chain carboxylic acids (28) from biomass (10) includes adding biomass (10) to a reactor vessel, heating the biomass to crack it, removing undesired (20) and unreacted (18) materials and light ends (16) from the cracked biomass, and removing a mixture containing carboxylic acids having carbon chain lengths between C2 and Cl 6 (24). A composition includes a carboxyl group- containing compound (28) derived by cracking biomass (10) and having a carboxyl carbon chain length between C2 and C 16.