Catalytic Hydrothermal Conversion of Triglycerides to Non-ester Biofuels

This paper describes a catalytic hydrothermolysis (CH) process aimed at converting triglycerides to non-ester biofuels. The CH conversion was carried out at temperatures ranging from 450 to 475 °C and a pressure of 210 bar in the presence of water with and without a catalyst. The organic phase (biocrude) from the CH process underwent post-treatment involving decarboxylation and hydrotreating. Results derived from soybean oil, jatropha oil, and tung oil show that certain biofuel fractions met JP-8 specifications and Navy distillate specifications. One of the CH biofuel characteristics is their high levels of cyclics and aromatics. Tung-oil-based biofuels derived from the CH process contain up to 60% aromatics, which can be a desirable ingredient for fuel blends involving biofuels derived from other processes or feedstocks. Results from these crop oils also suggest that the CH process can be adapted to a variety of other triglyceride feedstocks.