Pyrolysis of triglyceride materials for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals.

Microalgae as a renewable fuel source: Fast pyrolysis of Scenedesmus sp.

An overview of catalytic conversion of vegetable oils/fats into middle distillates

New path in the thermal cracking of triacylglycerols (canola and soybean oil)

The waxes associated with the suberin in the periderm of the underground storage organs of parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L.), carrot (Daucus carota L.), rutabaga (Brassica napobrassica Mill.), turnip (Brassica rapa L.), red beet (Beta vulgaris L.), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) were isolated, fractionated into hydrocarbon, wax ester, free fatty alcohol and free fatty acid fractions, and analyzed by combined gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The amount of wax extracted from the periderm of the storage organs ranged from 2 to 32 μg/cm2. The hydrocarbons from the suberin layer have a broader chain-length distribution, a predominance of shorter carbon chains, and a higher proportion of even-numbered carbon chains than the leaf alkanes from the same plants. The major components of the free and esterified fatty alcohols and fatty acids have an even number of carbon atoms, and are similar in chain-length distribution to their counterparts found covalently attached to the suberin polymers; however, these suberin components are shorter in chain length than their cuticular analogues from the leaves. Also extracted from the storage organs were polar components which included fatty alcohols and fatty acids in a conjugated form, and ω-hydroxy acids and dicarboxylic acids. Evidence is presented that removal of the wax from the periderm of whole storage organs results in a decrease in diffusion resistance to moisture.

Composition of suberin-associated waxes from the subterranean storage organs of seven plants : Parsnip, carrot, rutabaga, turnip, red beet, sweet potato and potato.

Saturated monoacid triglycerides were pyrolyzed in a flowing atmosphere of helium at 630–650 C, and the products were colleted at low temperature. They were fractionated by thin layer chromatography, according to polarity, and were further resolved and analyzed by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and IR spectrometry. Alkanes, alkenes, ketones, esters, free acids and cyclic products were identified. Among the latter are probably lactones and substituted dioxanes and dioxolanes, for which structures have been postulated. The parent acid of the triglyceride and the cyclic residual products, after loss of one acid group from the triglyceride, were prominent products. Many products of pyrolysis had structures similar to the major ions produced in the mass spectrum of the triglyceride.

Patrick C. Nichols

Papers

Pyrolysis of saturated triglycerides

Characterization of the lipids of some orchids