(508f) Catalytic Conversion of Tall Oil to Green Diesel and Biodiesel

The dependence of petroleum for nearly all of our transportation fuels fosters the importance and demand for renewable, biomass based transportation fuels. Biomass, the only current renewable source of liquid transportation fuel, has great potential to provide renewable energy. Biodiesel and Green Diesel can also be produced from the non-conventional, biologically derived feedstock such as tall oil. Crude tall oil(CTO) is a by-product of the Kraft Sulfate processing of the softwood for pulp and paper manufacture. Unsaturated C18 fatty acids, resin acids and unsaponifiables make up the principal constituents of the tall oil. CTO is upgraded by vacuum distillation to produce five major fractions. Catalytic cracking of these fractions along with CTO is performed to give green diesel, while acid catalyzed esterification leading to biodiesel. Results from conversion of tall oil to green diesel and biodiesel will be shown, as well as comparisons to traditional feedstocks.