| abstract |
A process has been developed for producing diesel fuel from biorenewable feedstocks such as plant oils and greases. The process involves a pretreatment step to remove contaminants such as alkali metals from the feedstock. Next the treated feedstock is hydrogenated and deoxygenated, i.e. decarboxylated and/or hydrodeoxygenated to provide a hydrocarbon fraction useful as a diesel fuel. If desired, the hydrocarbon fraction can be isomerized to improve cold flow properties. |