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8744407 
Journal Article 
Thermochemical conversion of triglycerides for production of drop-in liquid fuels 
Xu, J; Jiang, J; Zhao, J 
2016 
1 
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
ISSN: 1364-0321 
58 
331-340 
English 
WOS:000371948100027 
The increasing demand for transportation fuels, coupled with the depletion of petroleum resources and growing environmental concerns necessitates the development of efficient conversion technologies for the production of biofuels. Thermochemical approaches hold great promise for converting biomass into liquid fuels in one step using heat and catalysis. Several thermochemical processes are employed in the production of liquid biofuels depending on the target product properties: 1) direct thermal conversion; 2) catalytic cracking; 3) hydrodeoxygenation of plant oils and animal fats. Since enormous quantities of liquid fuels are consumed by transport vehicles, converting biomass into drop-in liquid fuels may reduce the dependence of the fuel market on petroleum-based fuel products. In this review, we summarize recent progress in technologies for large-scale direct thermochemical production of drop-in biofuels. We focus on the technical aspects critical to commercialization of the technologies for production of drop-in fuels from triglycerides, including cracking catalysts, catalytic cracking mechanisms, catalytic reactors, and biofuel properties. We also discuss future prospects for direct thermochemical conversion in biorefineries for the production of high grade biofuels. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 
Liquid fuels; Thermochemical conversion; Triglycerides