A method of recovering one or more insoluble oils from a liquid source using one or more membrane or membrane contactors, comprising the steps of: pumping the liquid source comprising the one or more oils to the membranes or membrane contactors, contacting the liquid source with a first surface of the membrane or membrane contactors, coalescing the one or more oils within the liquid source onto the first surface of the membrane contactors, pumping one or more recovery fluids through the membrane or membrane contactors in contact with the second surface of the membrane or membrane contactors, and removing a first stream of oil coalesced from the second surface of the membranes or membrane contactors.

Genetically engineered cells and microorganisms are provided that produce fatty alcohols from the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway, as well as methods of their use.

The present invention provides compositions and methods related to the production and use of enzymes suitable for reducing the amount of steryl glycosides or saturated monoacyl glycerols in a lipid mixture.

Provided is a free-polyunsaturated-fatty-acid-containing composition that has a total metal content of 0.1 ppm or less and that comprises at least one free polyunsaturated fatty acid having 20 or more carbon atoms, in an amount that is at least 80.0% of the amount of fatty acids in the composition; and a method for manufacturing a free-polyunsaturated-fatty-acid-containing composition, comprising: providing a raw material composition containing at least one polyunsaturated fatty acid having 20 or more carbon atoms; performing a hydrolysis treatment on a reaction solution prepared by combining the provided raw material composition, a lower alcohol, water having a total metal content of 0.01 ppm or less, and an alkali catalyst; and limiting the contact between the reaction composition and the metal after the hydrolysis treatment so that the product T [cm.sup.2×days] of the contact surface area [cm.sup.2] per 1 g and the contact time [days] between the composition and the metal is 100 or less.

The present invention relates to the production of biodiesel and alkyl esters by the transesterification of triglyceride esters, with alcohols in heterogeneous phase in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts, with yields higher than 80%, at a temperature from 0 to 300° C., residence time from 20 minutes to 20 h, space velocity of 0.1 to 10 h.sup.−1, pressure of 25-100 kg/cm.sup.2 (24.5-98.07 bar), methanol/oil molar ratio of 10 to 40 and catalyst concentration of 0.001 to 20 weight % based on tri-, di- or monoglyceride. The method produces biodiesel and alkyl esters by transesterification of tri-, di- or mono-glycerides, from palm, jatropha, castor, soybean and sunflower oils, wherein the alcohoxyls R.sup.1O, R.sup.2O and R.sup.3O of the glycerides are C.sub.1 to C.sub.24 and a C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alcohol, such as methanol, in an alcohol:oil ratio from 3:1 to 50:1. The transesterification reaction produces biodiesel while avoiding loss of catalyst, contaminating liquid effluents and eliminating undesirable hydrolysis of triglycerides, diglycerides and monoglycerides into free fatty acids and saponification that generate soaps.

A method for preparing high-content conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) through Purification of vegetable oil includes alcoholysis, purification and isomerization of vegetable oil. Alcoholysis is for preparing corresponding methyl ester or ethyl ester with glyceride; purification of methyl ester or ethyl ester is for obtaining methyl linoleate or ethyl linoleate of content over 85% through silver-based silica gel column chromatography; high-content CLA is obtained after alkali-catalyzed conjugation of methyl linoleate or ethyl linoleate, and CLA products are prepared as needed. This invention changes the status quo of preparing high-content CLA with safflower oil alone, expands sources of CLA, and develops an efficient technology for separation and purification of linoleic acid. The CLA obtained is of high purity and meets applications in pharmaceutical, health care products and other industries.

The present disclosure is directed to a plasticizer composition, polymeric compositions containing the plasticizer composition, and coated conductors comprising the polymeric composition. The plasticizer composition comprises an epoxidized fatty acid alkyl ester having an APHA color value of less than 100, a triepoxide content of at least 6.5 weight percent, and an oxirane oxygen content of at least 5 grams oxirane per 100 grams of epoxidized fatty acid alkyl ester.

A process for the extraction of lipids from algal biomass comprising: —producing an aqueous suspension of algal biomass; —adding to said aqueous suspension of algal biomass at least one organic solvent immiscible or substantially immiscible with water obtaining an organic-aqueous mixture; —subjecting said organic-aqueous mixture to evaporation of water and lipid extraction, operating at a temperature such to obtain the substantial complete removal of the water from said organic-aqueous mixture, obtaining: (i) an organic phase comprising lipids and said organic solvent; (ii) a semi-solid phase comprising a residue of said algal biomass.

Disclosed is a method for producing a drilling fluid, comprising: a) preparing mixed fatty acids from a biomass-derived oil, b) subjecting the mixed fatty acids of step a) to an estolide reaction with a light acid to give an estolide, and c) esterifying the estolide of step b) with an alcohol to obtain the drilling fluid.

A method for production of a biodiesel is described herein. The method for production of a biodiesel comprises (a) separating solids from a waste oil composition to provide a clarified oil composition; (b) acidifying the clarified oil composition to produce an acidified oil composition including free fatty acids derived from the waste oil; (c) converting at least a portion of the free fatty acids in the acidified oil composition to glycerides to provide a glyceride composition; and (d) reacting at least a portion of the glycerides in the glyceride composition with methanol to form fatty acid methyl ester to provide a biodiesel composition.