A Physico-Chemical Comparison of KiOR “Paraffin Waxes (Lignocellulosic), Hydrotreated, C5-40-

Branched, Cyclic and Linear” with Fossil Fuel Crude Oil

KiOR “Paraffin Waxes (Lignocellulosic), Hydrotreated, C5-40-Branched, Cyclic and Linear”: 

Conventional fast pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose by heating 

in the absence of oxygen at more than 500 °C. Under appropriate pyrolysis operation conditions, biomass 

can be converted to relatively high yields (~70 wt %) of liquids-a mixture of organic compounds (pyrolysis 

oil) and water. The pyrolysis oils are oxygenated hydrocarbon compounds that result from the thermal 

breakdown of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. Collectively, pyrolysis oil comprises a complex mixture 

of acids, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, sugars, phenols, furans, and multifunctional compounds 

such as hydroxyacetaldehyde. The relative amounts of each compound class can vary depending on the 

biomass feedstock used and the operating conditions employed during pyrolysis. 

The proprietary KiOR process is unique. It combines the pyrolysis described above with a proprietary 

catalyst and conventional fluid catalytic cracking technology. This process catalytically converts lignin, 

cellulose and hemicellulose. Hydrotreating further converts the products of conventional pyrolysis to a 

hydrotreated renewable crude analog, ‘paraffin waxes (lignocellulosic), hydrotreated, C5-40-branched, 

cyclic and linear’, that is a high-quality oil substitute less corrosive and with lower oxygen content 

compared to other bio-based oils. It may be refined using conventional distillation technology. Once 

refined, the distillation cuts are comparable to their fossil fuel based counterparts and can easily be 

blended with the existing fuel supply. 

KiOR “paraffin waxes (lignocellulosic), hydrotreated, C5-40-branched, cyclic and linear” is

indistinguishable in performance from its fossil fuel counterparts. 

See the infrared comparison of KiOR “paraffin waxes (lignocellulosic), hydrotreated, C5-40-branched, 

cyclic and linear” and fossil fuel crude oil (Figure 1). 

Comparison of KiOR “Paraffin Waxes (Lignocellulosic), Hydrotreated, C5-40-Branched, Cyclic and 

Linear”, and its Fossil Fuel Analog:

KiOR “Paraffin waxes (lignocellulosic), hydrotreated, C5-40-branched, cyclic and linear”

1. CAS Number: 1267611-06-2

2. CAS Description: “A complex combination of hydrocarbons obtained from a lignocellulosic 

feedstock by thermocatalytic conversion followed by hydrotreatment. It consists predominantly of 

branched, cyclic , and linear aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons having carbon 

numbers in the range of C5 to C40 and boiling in the range of approximately 21°C to 538°C (70°F 

to 1000°F).”

3. Boiling in the Range of: 21°C to 538°C (70°F to 1000°F)

4. Octanol/Water Partition Coefficient: 2.2, mean for the complex mixture, generally in compliance 

with EPA OPPTS 830.7550*

5. Vapor Pressure: approximately 1.5 kPa, Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP)
Fossil-fuel Crude Oil

1. CAS Number: 8002-05-09 (Represented in the attached Crude Oil Robust Summary )

2. CAS Description: “A complex combination of hydrocarbons. It consists predominantly of aliphatic, 

alicyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons. It may also contain small amounts of nitrogen, oxygen and 

sulfur compounds. This category encompasses light, medium, and heavy petroleums, as well as 

the oils extracted from tar sands.”

3. Boiling in the Range of: -1°C to 565°C (30°F to 1049°F) at 1013 hPa, ASTM D86, values given 

represent the approximate range for crude oils

4. Octanol/Water Partition Coefficient: 2 to 6 log Pow, range of modeled values for representative 

constituents present in the category streams*

5. Vapor Pressure: approximately 6-45 kPa, Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP), vapor pressure 

measurements are provided for 10 crude oils as represented in the Crude Oil Robust Summary

Figure 1. Infrared comparison of KiOR “paraffin waxes (lignocellulosic), hydrotreated, C5-40-branched, 

cyclic and linear” (top) with fossil fuel crude oil (bottom).

* While not appropriate for characterizing the solubility of complex mixtures, several good-faith efforts have been made to utilize

accepted in vitro or in silico modeling methodologies to provide somewhat-informative data.