The Impact of Fatty Acid Composition on Transportation Fuel Yields via the Non‐Catalytic Cracking of Triacylglyceride Oils

Abstract

A wide spectrum of triacylglyceride (TG) oils were decomposed in batch lab and continuous pilot‐scale reactors to generate an extensive database, which was then used to construct a model to predict the detailed composition of products generated during non‐catalytic cracking. The model was then coupled with additional simulated process steps to determine the yields of transportation products and other chemical co‐products meeting specifications of their petroleum analogs as validated with laboratory testing. A statistical study was then performed to use the model to analyze the impact that changes in TG oil composition have upon target product yields. In this study, the model was used to simulate a viable suite of products for every TG oil analyzed. The model predicts minor differences in the ratio of products from various different fatty acid compositions. For example, it was found that stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1), and erucic (C22:1) acids show a positive effect on fuel yields. By contrast, palmitic (C16:0), linoleic (C18:2), and linolenic (C18:3) acids have negative impacts on fuel yields. From these results, a hypothetical “ideal” TG oil was constructed. This oil turns out to have a composition that is very close to the composition of high oleic sunflower oil.

Enhancing very long chain fatty acids production in Yarrowia lipolytica

“…The situation was changed by overexpression of TaFAE1 under the control of 8UAS-pTEF in YL62 when C18:1Δ 9 dropped from over 50% to less than 30% of TFA in cells. This was accompanied by a more than 2-fold increase in palmitoleic acid (C16:1Δ 9 ) and an important increase in all VLCFA. The most profound change in fatty acid profile was seen in strain YL53, where the major fatty acid became C16:1Δ 9 instead of the usual C18:1Δ 9 .…”

“…This was accompanied by a more than 2-fold increase in palmitoleic acid (C16:1Δ 9 ) and an important increase in all VLCFA. The most profound change in fatty acid profile was seen in strain YL53, where the major fatty acid became C16:1Δ 9 instead of the usual C18:1Δ 9 . Behenic (C22:0), C22:1Δ 13 , and lignoceric (C24:0) acids were the most accumulated VLCFA in YL53.…”

“…For example, erucic acid (C22:1Δ 13 ) is applicable as a surfactant, lubricant, and constituent of nanocomposites [7,8]. A study by Seames and colleagues has described the beneficial impact of C22:1Δ 13 on biodiesel yield produced by non-catalytic cracking of triacylglycerols [9]. Xu and colleagues described the preparation of diesel-like hydrocarbons from behenic acid (C22:0) [10].…”

An Initial Study of the Catalytic Reforming of Crop Oil‐Derived 1‐Alkenes with HZSM‐5 to Aromatic Hydrocarbons

“…Previous work reporting the noncatalytic cracking of crop oils in a continuous pilot scale system has shown that, under low‐pressure conditions, a significant fraction of the liquid product is obtained in the form of 1‐alkenes (Seames et al, ). The 1‐tetradecene and other C 14 –C 17 terminal alkenes, which are formed as a result of the deoxygenation or cleavage of C 16 and C 18 fatty acids, may be valuable feedstocks.…”

“…1‐Tetradecene was selected as the feedstock as this is a representative compound for the longer carbon chain‐length alkenes generated during cracking (Seames et al, ). The primary objective of this work was to determine if these longer‐chain 1‐alkenes, as represented by the model compound 1‐tetradecene, can be efficiently converted into aromatics, and whether the aromatic products’ speciation and homology profile would be different compared to those obtained with lighter alkenes.…”