Supported Urania Catalysts for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Dehydrogenation

70685 To strengthen U.S. energy security by reducing dependence on imported oil, the U.S. Congress passed the Energy Policy Act in 1992 to accelerate the use of alternative, renewable fuels in the transportation sector. In 1998, the Act was amended to specifically include biodiesel fuel as viable alternative. However, this will require new technology to control and manipulate the chemical composition, and thus the ultimate performance, of biodiesel. This project will develop a novel, uranium-based catalyst and an associated process for the selective addition of double bonds to saturated fatty acid methyl esters common in biodiesel fuel. In Phase I, a novel uranium-based catalyst will be developed for the selective oxidative dehydrogenation of stearic acid methyl ester, chosen as a model saturated ester. In addition, a preliminary engineering and economic evaluation of a commercial-scale process based on this concept will be developed. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new catalytic process should provide a cost-effective method to enable the commercial development of renewable energy resources, as well as a commercial outlet for depleted uranium hexafluoride.