Production of engine fuels from inedible vegetable oils and fats

The state of the art chemistry and technology of the manufacture of generation I and II engine fuels from renewable sources such as oils and fats are described. The attention is focused on the specifics of the synthesis of hydrocarbon fuels from inedible raw materials, in particular, algae. The results obtained by the authors in an experimental study of the model reaction of the preparation of n-heptadecane by the decar-boxylation of stearic acid over a palladium catalyst on an acid support are presented. The catalyst activity and the process selectivity depending on the temperature, the palladium content, the time, and the initial composition of the gas phase were studied. The mechanism of the decarboxylation reaction has been hypothesized on the basis on the obtained data.