Patent ID: 8314279

Claim:
A continuous flow process for selectively making olefins in a reactor from energy dense alcohols comprising: providing a supply of oxygen gas; providing a supply of a 4-carbon liquid alcohol fuel selected from the group consisting of 1-butanols, 2-butanols, isobutanols, and mixtures thereof; atomizing said alcohol to form small droplets; evaporating said droplets to form a vapor; and reacting the vapor with the oxygen gas in the presence of a solid heterogeneous catalyst selected from the group consisting of Rh/Al 2 O 3 foam and Al 2 O 3 foam and mixtures thereof to produce a 4-carbon olefin selected from the group consisting of 1-butene, cis-2-butene, isobutene, trans-2-butene and mixtures thereof, wherein the contact time of the alcohol vapor with oxygen in the presence of the catalyst is between 145-550 ms.