Patent ID: 7960597

Claim:
A 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 oligomerization of unsaturated fatty acid components contained therein so as to provide for an oligomerized mixture comprising an oligomer component; 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 of the unsaturated fatty acid component, and (ii) a diesel fuel component derived from the saturated fatty acid component; d) stripping the isomerized mixture of water to yield a dry isomerized mixture, wherein the dry isomerized mixture comprises at least 10 wt. % oligomers as alkanes having a carbon number of 30 or greater and having been derived from the oligomerization of the unsaturated fatty acid component; e) separating the dry isomerized mixture into a lower boiling fraction from which diesel fuel is subsequently derived, and a higher boiling fraction; and f) subsequently further isomerizing at least a portion of the higher boiling fraction to yield a base oil.