United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture

Bryan R Moser

Kenneth Michael Doll

Gerhard H Knothe

Disclosed herein are processes for the decarboxylation, isomerization, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and cyclization/aromatization of fatty acids involving contacting a starting material which is an unsaturated fatty acid, unsaturated fatty acid derivative, or an unsaturated triglyceride, in the presence of a catalyst at a temperature at which decarboxylation, isomerization, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and cyclization/aromatization occurs and recovering the unsaturated organic compound product; wherein the catalyst is chloro-1,5-cyclooctadiene iridium (I) dimer. The product may contain at least about 8% by volume aromatic content and less than about 25% by volume aromatic content, and wherein the product contains less than about 1% by volume of naphthalenes.

Process for the decarboxylation, isomerization, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation and cyclization aromatization of fatty acids yielding products with significant aromatic content

Growing community of inventors

Morton, IL, United States of America

Bryan R Moser