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Edition:Final report; Aug. 2010 to June 2012
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NTL Classification:NTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-Alternative Fuels
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Abstract:Vegetable oils have been investigated as a way to provide a renewable source for diesel fuel. A successful approach to using vegetable oils in diesel engines has been transesterification of the oils with simple alcohols to produce mono-alkyl esters, or biodiesel. A recent development in the area of alternative diesel fuels is a fuel produced from vegetable oils and animal fats using specially modified hydrogenation processes in a conventional petroleum processing facility. This fuel is usually called renewable diesel. This project has focused on developing an understanding of the processes involved with renewable diesel production from a variety of bio-based feedstocks. The project has determined that Raney nickel is an effective catalyst for hydrogenation and deoxygenation of fatty acids, which is a key step in the production of renewable diesel. We have also determined that deoxygenation can take place in a hydrogen-lean environment so that fatty acids can be deoxygenated without having to be completely hydrogenated. This is an important observation because hydrogenation affects the fuel’s cold flow properties by increasing its melting point. We are continuing to explore decarboxylation without full hydrogenation as a way to provide renewable diesel with superior low temperature properties.
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