Conversion of fatty acids and esters to low-aromatic gasoline

Agricultural oils and by-products have been used as fuels, but they can also serve as precursors for producing transportation fuels that require a highly isoparaffinic composition for high performance. Hydrocracking and reforming of biomass materials to the isoparaffinic composition desired for gasoline are reported in this paper. Several catalysts, including natural and synthetic clays, have been effective for conversion of fatty acids and triglycerides to high-quality gasoline products. Reactions with nickel-substituted synthetic mica montmorillonite gave high yields of distillate in the gasoline range. A high percentage of the product was isoparaffinic or branched alkanes (55%-61%) and a low percentage was aromatic. Rapeseed oil was converted to a highly isoparaffinic product with minimal formation of benzene or toluene. These product compositions are appropriate for transportation fuels with low environmental risks.