Patent ID: 8471081

Claim:
A process for producing a hydrocarbon product from a renewable feedstock comprising at least tall oil, said process comprising; a) heating the renewable feedstock comprising at least tall oil to a temperature of from about 60° C. to about 80° C.; b) conducting the renewable feedstock to a reaction zone while maintaining the temperature of the renewable feedstock at from about 60° C. to about 80° C.; c) treating the renewable feedstock in the reaction zone by hydrogenating and deoxygenating the feedstock at reaction conditions to provide a reaction product comprising paraffins having from about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms, and recycling a portion of the reaction product to the reaction zone wherein the volume ratio of recycle to feedstock is in the range of about 2:1 to about 8:1; and d) isomerizing at least a portion of the paraffins in the reaction product in an isomerization zone by contacting with an isomerization catalyst at isomerization conditions to isomerize at least a portion of the paraffins to branched-paraffins and generate the hydrocarbon product.