Patent ID: 8901329

Claim:
A method of reacting an oxygenated hydrocarbon to form a saturated alkyl acid or ester where the oxygenated hydrocarbon contains: i. At least one furan group, ii. At least one oxygen-containing group selected from the group consisting of acid groups, ester groups, and combinations of acid and ester groups, and iii. At least one carbonyl-containing group selected from the group consisting of aldehyde groups, ketone groups, and combinations of aldehyde and ketone groups, wherein the method comprises: (a) hydrogenating the oxygenated hydrocarbon in the presence of a first catalyst to reduce the number of multiple bonds and produce a reduced mixture having multiple components wherein each component of the reduced mixture contains at least one acid, ester or lactone group; and, (b) hydrodeoxygenating the reduced mixture in the presence of a second catalyst to form a saturated alkyl acid or ester.