A number of different branched hydrocarbon compounds (formula I) having a star-like configuration (S) are prepared from renewable oils containing fatty acids or derivatives containing fatty acids. The branched hydrocarbon compounds may be isolated individually or in mixtures, and may be used as part of base oils, such as renewable base oils (RBOs). A process for preparing the branched hydrocarbon compounds of formula I involve conditions that favour a trimerisation reaction followed by hydrotreating conditions. The compounds of formula I may be made by catalytically treating renewable material in a process, and the compounds have desirable qualities relating to lubrication, cold flow as well as having a low Noack volatility.

A method and system for producing ketones, suitable for manufacture of base oil or diesel fuel components, from a feedstock of biological origin containing fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, and being at least partly in liquid form, by subjecting the feedstock to a catalytic ketonisation reaction, wherein the ketonisation reaction is carried out in a system having one or more ketonisation reactor(s) (A, B) each with at least one ketonisation catalyst bed (G). The method and system for producing ketones use a gas containing CO.sub.2 produced in the ketonisation reactors as a carrier gas.

A method is disclosed for preparing an aviation fuel composition by subjecting a feedstock of biological and/or recycled origin to cracking in a cracking unit and to fractionation in a fractionation unit to obtain a kerosene fraction. The obtained kerosene fraction is subjected to hydrotreatment in a hydrotreatment unit to form a first jet fuel component. The formed first jet fuel component is mixed with a further jet fuel component to form a fuel composition having a wear scar diameter of 0.78 mm or less, as measured with BOCLE lubricity test method according to ASTM D5001. The feedstock contains one or more of tall oil pitch (TOP), a mixture of sludge palm oil, palm fatty acid distillate and animal fat (FATS), and used lubricant oil (ULO).

The present invention relates to a method for production of a fuel composition, more specifically a middle distillate fuel composition, and a compositionin particular a co feed composition comprising a furanyl containing oligomerisation composition admixed with one or more material component comprising fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives and the use of such composition.

An integrated system for the conversion of biomass to renewable natural gas and then to methanol and other value-added products is provided. The integrated system includes a compressor that receives biomass gases from a biomass source and a series of purification stations that produce purified gas from the biomass gases. Characteristically, the purified gas has an enhanced amount of methane. A gas-to-liquids plant converts the purified gas to a product blend that includes methanol.

A process for esterification and/or trans-esterification, uses an acid as catalyst in the presence of an anionic surfactant. The process may involve esterifying and/or trans-esterifying at least one fatty acid and/or fatty acid ester with at least one alcohol using at least one acid catalyst, such as methanesulfonic acid, in the presence of at least one anionic surfactant

Catalyst compositions comprising an inorganic porous material with pore diameters of at least 2 nm and of crystals of molecular sieve, characterized in that the crystals of molecular sieve have an average diameter, measured by scanning electron microscopy, not bigger than 50 nm, and in that the catalyst composition presents a concentration of acid sites ranges from 50 to 1200 mol/g measured by TPD NH3 adsorption; and the XRD pattern of said catalyst composition is the same as the X ray diffraction pattern of said inorganic porous material.

The present invention relates to a method for producing mixtures of hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds for subsequent use as fuel components (preferably in the C5-C16 range) by catalytic conversion of the oxygenated compounds contained in aqueous fractions derived from primary biomass treatments, which can comprise at least the following steps: (i) bringing the aqueous mixture containing the oxygenated compounds derived from biomass in contact with a catalyst comprising at least W and/or Nb, and combinations of Nb and W with other elements, (ii) reacting the mixture with the catalyst in a catalytic reactor at temperatures between 50 C. and 450 C. and under pressures of 1 to 120 bar; and (iii) recovering the products obtained by a liquid/liquid separation process of the aqueous and organic phases.

Methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) conversion may be performed with a methanol recycling. Methanol may be fed to a first reactor where it may be catalytically converted under dimethyl ether formation conditions in the presence of a first catalyst to form a product mixture comprising dimethyl ether (DME), methanol, and water. The DME may be separated from the methanol and the water and delivered to a second reactor. In the second reactor, the DME may be catalytically converted under MTG conversion conditions in the presence of a second catalyst to form a second product mixture comprising gasoline hydrocarbons and light hydrocarbon gas. The methanol and the water from the first reactor may be separated further to obtain substantially water-free methanol, which may be returned to the first reactor. The separation of methanol from the water may be performed using the light hydrocarbon gas to effect stripping of the methanol.

Bimetallic catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) conversion of lignin into useful hydrocarbons are provided. The catalysts are bifunctional bimetallic ruthenium catalysts Ru-M/X.sup.+Y comprising a metal M such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu) or zinc (Zn), zeolite Y and cation X.sup.+ (e.g. H.sup.+) associated with zeolite Y.