Catalytic Biorefining of Natural Oils to Basic Olefinic Building Blocks of Proven Chemical Valorization Schemes

Abstract

AbstractCatalytic transformation of renewable plant oils including microalgae and waste oil into industrially relevant α‐olefins in the C3 to C10 regime is demonstrated. The biorefinery concept is comprised of a catalytic sequence of ethenolysis, double bond isomerization, and a subsequent ethenolysis, thereby cutting and rearranging the fatty acid chains into valuable chemical building blocks. A benign extraction and reaction solvent, supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), is utilized.