Patent ID: 7960596

Claim:
A method for producing base oil and diesel fuel, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing for a triglyceride-containing vegetable oil comprising both saturated and unsaturated fatty acid components; b) processing the triglyceride-containing vegetable oil to effect deoxygenation of saturated fatty acid components and oligomerization and deoxygenation of unsaturated fatty acid components contained therein so as to provide for an oligomerized mixture comprising an oligomer component, wherein said processing comprises hydrotreating and subsequent water removal; c) isomerizing the oligomerized mixture over an isomerization catalyst to yield an isomerized mixture; wherein the isomerized mixture comprises (i) a base oil component derived from oligomerization and deoxygenation of the unsaturated fatty acid components, and (ii) a diesel fuel component derived from the deoxygenation of the saturated fatty acid components; and wherein the isomerized mixture comprises at least 10 wt. % oligomers as alkanes having a carbon number of 30 or greater and contributing to the base oil component of the isomerized mixture; and d) distilling the isomerized mixture to yield a base oil and a diesel fuel.