METHODS FOR PRODUCING LINEAR ALKYLBENZENES FROM BIORENEWABLE
FEEDSTOCKS
STATEMENT OF PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 13/523,741 which was
filed on June 14, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to methods for producing detergent
compounds, and more particularly the present disclosure relates to methods for producing
linear alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks.
BACKGROUND
[0003] While detergents made utilizing linear alkylbenzene-based surfactants are
biodegradable, existing processes for creating linear alkylbenzenes are not based on
renewable sources. Specifically, linear alkylbenzenes are traditionally produced from
kerosene extracted from the earth. Due to the growing environmental concerns over fossil
fuel extraction and economic concerns over exhausting fossil fuel deposits, there is a
demand for using alternate feed sources for producing biodegradable surfactants for use in
detergents and in other industries.
[0004] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods for producing linear
alkylbenzenes from a bio-renewable feedstock, i.e., a feedstock that is not extracted from
the earth. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent
from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawing and this background.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0005] Methods for producing linear alkylbenzenes product from a bio-renewable
feedstock are provided herein. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method
for producing a linear alkylbenzene product from a bio-renewable feedstock having a
mixture of naturally-derived hydrocarbons includes separating the mixture of naturallyderived
hydrocarbons into a naphtha portion and a distillate portion, reforming the naphtha
portion, and using a high purity aromatics recovery process on the reformed naphtha
portion to produce benzene. The method further includes separating a normal paraffins
portion from the distillate portion and dehydrogenatmg the normal paraffins portion to
produce mono-olefins. Still further, the method includes reacting the benzene and the
mono-olefins to produce the linear alkylbenzene product.
[0006] In another exemplary embodiment, a method for producing a linear alkylbenzene
product from a bio-renewable feedstock having a natural oil includes hydrogenating,
deoxygenating, isomerizing, and selective hydrocracking the renewable feedstock to
produce a hydrocarbon mixture, separating the hydrocarbon mixture into a naphtha portion
and a distillate portion, reforming the naphtha portion, and using a high purity aromatics
recovery process on the reformed naphtha portion to produce benzene. The method
further includes separating a normal paraffins portion from distillate portion and
dehydrogenatmg the normal paraffins portion to produce mono-olefins. Still further, the
method includes reacting the benzene and the mono-olefins to produce the linear
alkylbenzene product.
[0007] In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment, a method for producing a
linear alkylbenzene product from a bio-renewable feedstock having a mixture of naturallyderived
hydrocarbons includes separating the mixture of naturally-derived hydrocarbons
into a naphtha portion and first and second distillate portions. The method further includes
reforming the naphtha portion and using a high purity aromatics recovery process on the
reformed naphtha portion to produce benzene. Still further, the method includes
separating a normal paraffins portion from the first distillate portion and dehydrogenatmg
the normal paraffins portion to produce mono-olefins. Still further, the method includes
reacting the benzene and the mono-olefins to produce the linear alkylbenzene product.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Embodiments of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described in
conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like
elements, and wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a system utilizing a
process for producing linear alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks;
[0010] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a system
utilizing a process for producing linear alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks;
[0011] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates yet another exemplary embodiment of a system
utilizing a process for producing linear alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks; and
[0012] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process for producing linear alkylbenzenes
from bio-renewable feedstocks in accordance with an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not
intended to limit the various embodiments or the application and uses thereof.
Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding
background or the following detailed description.
[0014] Various embodiments contemplated herein relate to methods for producing linear
alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system
100 utilizing a process for producing linear alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The system 100 includes a bio-renewable
feedstock source 101. The bio-renewable feedstock source 101 includes one or more
natural oils such as those derived from plant or algae matter. As used herein, natural oils
include oils that are not based on kerosene or other fossil fuels. The natural oils suitable
for use herein include, but are not limited to, one or more of coconut oil, babassu oil,
castor oil, algae byproduct, beef tallow oil, borage oil, camelina oil, Canola ® oil, choice
white grease, coffee oil, corn oil, Cuphea Viscosissima oil, evening primrose oil, fish oil,
hemp oil, hepar oil, jatropha oil, Lesquerella Fendleri oil, linseed oil, Moringa Oleifera
oil, mustard oil, neem oil, palm oil, perilla seed oil, pongamia seed oil, pennycress seed
oil, carinata seed oil, poultry fat, rice bran oil, soybean oil, stillingia oil, sunflower oil,
tung oil, tall oil, yellow grease, cooking oil, and other vegetable, nut, or seed oils. Other
natural oils will be known to those having ordinary skill in the art. The natural oils
typically include glycerides, such as triglycerides, free fatty acids (FFAs), or a
combination of both, and other trace compounds and impurities. The glycerides and FFAs
of natural oils contain aliphatic hydrocarbon chains in their structure that have 8 to 24
carbon atoms with a majority of the oils containing high concentrations of fatty acids with
16 and 18 carbon atoms.
[0015] The bio-renewable feedstocks that can be used in the embodiments described
herein may contain a variety of impurities. For example, tall oil is a by-product of the
wood processing industry and contains esters and rosin acids in addition to FFAs. Rosin
acids are cyclic carboxylic acids. The renewable feedstocks may also contain
contaminants such as alkali metals, e.g. sodium, potassium, and phosphorous, as well as
solids, water, and detergents. As such, it is desirable to remove as much of these
contaminants as possible. One optional treatment step for the removal of impurities from
the bio-renewable feedstock includes contacting the bio-renewable feedstock with an ionexchange
resin in a pretreatment zone (not illustrated) at pretreatment conditions. The
ion-exchange resin is an acidic ion-exchange resin and can be used as a bed in a reactor
through which the feedstock is flowed. Another optional treatment step for removing
contaminants is a mild acid wash. This treatment is carried out by contacting the
feedstock with an acid, such as sulfuric, nitric, or hydrochloric acid, in a reactor. The acid
and feedstock can be contacted either in a batch or continuous process. Contacting is done
with a dilute acid solution usually at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. If the
contacting is done in a continuous manner, it is usually done in a counter current manner.
[0016] With continued reference to FIG. 1, the bio-renewable feedstock from the biorenewable
feedstock source 101 is flowed to a deoxygenation-hydrogenationisomerization-
selective hydrocracking unit 102. In the deoxygenation-hydrogenationisomerization-
selective hydrocracking unit 102, the feedstock is contacted in the presence
of hydrogen at hydrogenation conditions with a composite catalyst, a first portion of which
is a hydrogenation or hydrotreating catalyst. Hydrogenation or hydrotreating catalysts are
any of those well known in the art such as nickel or nickel/molybdenum, or cobalt or
cobalt/molybdenum, dispersed on an oxide support. Other hydrogenation catalysts include
one or more noble metal catalytic elements dispersed on an oxide support. Non-limiting
examples of noble metals include platinum and/or palladium dispersed on gammaalumina.
Operating conditions for the hydrogenation zone are well known in the art.
[0017] With regard to the isomerization and selective hydrocracking functions of the
deoxygenation-hydrogenation-isomerization-selective hydrocracking unit 102, a second
portion of the composite catalyst may contain a zeolite with an acid function capable of
catalyzing the isomerization and selective hydrocracking reactions. The zeolite
concentration can range from 1 to 99 weight percent of the catalyst composite, depending
upon the type of zeolite employed and the operating conditions. In one embodiment, the
zeolite contains medium to large size pores with 10-12 member rings such as BEA, MOR,
MFI, or FAU. In other embodiments, the cracking function is a non-crystalline acid site
found in materials such as amorphous silica-alumina. In yet another embodiment, a
portion of the support has an external surface area that is greater than 150 m /g, and has
greater than 45 A average pore diameter, for maximum accessibility of the large
triglyceride molecules to the catalytic active sites. It will be appreciated that a highlyporous
structure with relatively large openings, such as the one described above with
regard to the exemplary catalyst, will reduce diffusion problems that might otherwise
prevent the large glyceride molecules from contacting the active sites of the catalyst.
Furthermore, such pores will prevent diffusional resistance for the aviation-range paraffins
produced in this catalytic process and prevent further cracking to lower value light
products. Examples of catalysts, or sets of catalysts, successful in catalyzing the
deoxygenation, hydrogenation, isomerization, and selective hydrocracking reactions in the
same reaction zone include platinum dispersed on a support containing Y-zeolite. Another
example is platinum and palladium on a support containing Y-zeolite bound with
amorphous silica alumina. An example of a set of catalysts includes sulfided NiMo
supported on amorphous silica alumina or platinum supported on amorphous silica
alumina.
[0018] The catalysts enumerated above are also capable of catalyzing decarboxylation,
decarbonylation, and/or hydrodeoxygenation of the feedstock to remove oxygen.
Decarboxylation, decarbonylation, and hydrodeoxygenation are collectively referred to
herein as deoxygenation reactions. Structurally, triglycerides are formed by three,
typically different, fatty acid molecules that are bonded together with a glycerol bridge.
The glycerol molecule includes three hydroxyl groups (HO-), and each fatty acid molecule
has a carboxyl group (COOH). In triglycerides, the hydroxyl groups of the glycerol join
the carboxyl groups of the fatty acids to form ester bonds. Therefore, during
deoxygenation, the fatty acids are freed from the triglyceride structure and are converted
into linear paraffins. The glycerol is converted into propane, and the oxygen in the
hydroxyl and carboxyl groups is converted into either water or carbon dioxide. The
deoxygenation reaction for fatty acids (1) and triglycerides (2) are illustrated, respectively,
as:
H2 + RCOOH R + H20 + C0 2 (1)
CH2-C02-R CH3 H20
H2 + CH-C02-R2 CH2 + R1 + R2 + R3 + (2)
CH2-C02-R3 CH3 C0 2
[0019] During the deoxygenation reaction, the length of a product paraffin chain R will
vary by a value of one depending on the exact reaction pathway. For example, if carbon
dioxide is formed, then the chain will have one fewer carbon than the fatty acid source
(R ) . If water is formed, then the chain will match the length of the R chain in the fatty
acid source. Typically, due to the reaction kinetics, water and carbon dioxide are formed
in roughly equal amounts, such that equal amounts of Cx paraffins and Cx_i paraffins are
formed.
[0020] Since hydrogenation is an exothermic reaction, as the feedstock flows through
the catalyst bed the temperature increases and decarboxylation and hydrodeoxygenation
will begin to occur. Thus, it is envisioned and is within the scope of this disclosure that all
dehydrogenation/ deoxygenation reactions, as well as the isomerization and selective
hydrocracking reactions, occur simultaneously in one reactor or in one bed, such as
deoxygenation-hydrogenation-isomerization-selective hydrocracking unit 102.
Alternatively, the conditions can be controlled such that more than one reactor or bed is
used. For example, the conditions can be controlled such that hydrogenation primarily
occurs in one bed and deoxygenation occurs in a second bed.
[0021] The reaction product from the deoxygenation-hydrogenation-isomerizationselective
hydrocracking reactions in the deoxygenation-hydrogenation-isomerizationselective
hydrocracking unit 102 may include a "light ends" portion 103, which includes
hydrocarbon molecules having typically 4 carbon atoms or less, such as propane and
butane. The reaction product from the deoxygenation-hydrogenation-isomerizationselective
hydrocracking reactions in the deoxygenation-hydrogenation-isomerizationselective
hydrocracking unit 102 will further include a naphtha portion 104, which
includes a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules typically having between 5 and 8 carbon
atoms. Still further, the reaction product from the deoxygenation-hydrogenationisomerization-
selective hydrocracking reactions in the deoxygenation-hydrogenationisomerization-
selective hydrocracking unit 102 zone will include a distillate portion 105,
which includes a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules typically having between 9 and 18
carbon atoms or higher. Distillate portion 105 includes hydrocarbons that are suitable for
use in producing aviation and/or diesel fuel, for example. Of course, different feedstocks
will result in different distributions of paraffins.
[0022] With continued reference to FIG. 1, the naphtha portion 104 is further processed
through a reforming unit 106 and a high purity aromatics recovery unit 108. In one
embodiment, catalytic reforming is employed in reforming unit 106. In a typical catalytic
reforming zone, the reactions include dehydrogenation, dehydrocyclization, isomerization,
and hydrocracking. The dehydrogenation reactions typically will be the dehydrogenation
of paraffins to olefins, and the dehydrogenation of cyclic paraffins and cyclic olefins to
aromatics. The dehydrocyclization reactions typically will be dehydrocyclization of
olefins and paraffins to cycloparaffins. The isomerization reactions include isomerization
of n-paraffins to isoparaffins, the isomerization of alkylcyclopentanes to
alkylcyclohexanes, the isomerization of cyclohexanes to alkylcycloparaffins, the
hydroisomerization of n-paraffins to isoparaffins, and the isomerization of substituted
aromatics. Further, the hydrocracking reactions include the hydrocracking of paraffins
and olefins. Exemplary catalysts suitable for use with the reforming unit 106 are
described in commonly assigned United States Patent No. 7,875,757 and United States
Patent Application Publication Nos. 201 1/01 18516, 201 1/0136655, 201 1/0147265,
201 1/0152589, 201 1/0083936.
[0023] As noted above, the products produced from the reforming unit 106 are further
processed in the high purity aromatics recovery separation process unit 108. The high
purity aromatics recovery separation process unit 108 is primarily provided to separate
benzene from other components in the reformate product. The high purity aromatics
recovery separation unit 108, in one particular example, uses a 2,3,4,5-
tetrahydrothiophene- 1,1 -dioxide solvent to extract benzene from other reforming products
through liquid-liquid extraction and/or extractive distillation at high purity, for example
greater than 80% purity. An exemplary process associated with the use of this solvent is
described in R.A. Meyers, "Handbook of Petroleum Refining Processes," 2d ed. 1996, ch.
2.2. In this example, three products are produced from the high purity aromatics recovery
separation process unit 108, including a gasoline byproduct 109 (i.e., the reformate
product having the benzene, toluene, and xylene removed therefrom), a toluene/xylene
mixture byproduct 110, and the primary benzene product 111.
[0024] With continued reference to FIG. 1, and referring back to the distillate portion
105 produced from the deoxygenation-hydrogenation-isomerization-selective
hydrocracking unit 102, the distillate portion 105 is passed to a separator 107 to separate
linear (n-) paraffins from branched or cyclic compounds that are included in the distillate
portion 105. A suitable separator 107 for this purpose is a separator that operates using a
liquid-state separation of normal paraffins from branched and cyclic components is
described in R.A. Meyers, "Handbook of Petroleum Refining Processes," 2d ed. 1996, chs.
10.3 and 10.7. Other separators known in the art are suitable for use herein as well. Two
products are produced from the separator 107, including a distillate product 112 without
normal paraffins and a normal paraffins product 113.
[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the benzene product produced from the high purity
aromatics recovery separation process unit 108 and the normal paraffins product 113
produced from the separator 107 are passed to a linear alkylbenzene production unit 114.
In the linear alkylbenzene production unit 114, the normal paraffins are dehydrogenated
into mono-olefms of the same carbon numbers as the normal paraffins. Typically,
dehydrogenation occurs through known catalytic processes, such as the exemplary process
described in R.A. Meyers, "Handbook of Petroleum Refining Processes," 2d ed. 1996, ch.
1.5. Di-olefms (i.e., dienes) and aromatics are also produced as an undesired result of the
dehydrogenation reactions as expressed in the following equations:
Mon - -i formation: x¾ x- ¾ ÷ ¾
D - formation: € c¾ c ¾ x- + ¾
Aromatic formation: € c¾ c.2 ~ ¾ 4 + 2¾
[0026] To produce linear alkylbenzenes, the mono-olefms and the benzene are alkylated
using an alkylation catalyst, such as a solid acid catalyst, that supports alkylation of the
benzene with the mono-olefms. Hydrogen fluoride (HF) and aluminum chloride (AICI3)
are two catalysts in commercial use for the alkylation of benzene with linear mono-olefms
and may be used in the alkylbenzene production unit 114. Additional catalysts include
zeolite-based or fluoridate silica alumina-based solid bed alkylation catalysts (for example,
FAU, MOR, UZM-8, Y, X RE exchanged Y, RE exchanged X, amorphous silica-alumina,
and mixtures thereof, and others known in the art). As a result of alkylation, a linear
alkylbenzene product 115 is formed according to the reaction:
[0027] In another embodiment, FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary system
200 utilizing a process for producing linear alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks.
System 200 differs from system 100 in the bio-renewable feedsource provided. In contrast
to system 100, which as noted above, uses a bio-renewable feedstock source 101 including
one or more natural oils such as those derived from plant or algae matter, system 200 uses
a feedstock source 121 that includes a mixture of hydrocarbons derived from renewable
sources. The mixture of hydrocarbons can include hydrocarbons having typically between
1 and 22 or more carbon atoms per molecule. A suitable mixture of hydrocarbons for the
feedstock 121 can be produced from renewable sources using, for example, the processes
described in commonly assigned United States Patent Nos. 7,982,076 to Marker et al. and
8,039,682 to McCall et al. The feedstock source 121 can be separated into a "light ends"
portion 103, a naphtha portion 104, and a distillate portion 105, and processed as described
above with regard to FIG. 1 into a linear alkylbenzene product 115.
[0028] In yet another embodiment, FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an exemplary system
300 utilizing a process for producing linear alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks.
System 300 differs from systems 100 and 200 in the processing of the distillate portion
105. In system 300, a separator 122 is provided to separate the distillate portion 105 into a
first distillate portion 124 and a second distillate portion 123. In one example, the first
distillate portion 124 can include distillate hydrocarbons suitable for use as aviation fuel.
The second distillate portion 123 can include distillate hydrocarbons suitable for use as
diesel fuel, and can include hydrocarbons having 16 carbon atoms and higher. Of course,
distillate portion 105 can, in other embodiments, be separated into three or more portions.
[0029] With continued reference to the example wherein the first distillate portion 124
includes distillate hydrocarbons suitable for use as aviation fuel and the second distillate
portion 123 can include distillate hydrocarbons suitable for use as diesel fuel, it will be
appreciated that aviation fuel can overlap diesel fuel (with regard to their hydrocarbon
composition) at heavier boiling point ranges, and the separation of the two components
can be controlled to meet the desired specification properties of the first and second
distillate portions 124/123. For example, a portion including hydrocarbons suitable for
use as aviation fuel will include one or more hydrocarbons whose chemical and physical
properties meet the target aviation fuel specifications. For example, aviation turbine fuels,
a kerosene type fuel including JP-8, are specified by MIL-DTL-83133, JP-4, a blend of
gasoline, kerosene and light distillates, is specified by MIL-DTL-5624 and JP-5 a
kerosene type fuel with low volatility and high flash point is also specified by MIL-DTL-
5624, with the written specification of each being periodically revised. Often a distillation
range from 10 percent recovered to a final boiling point is used as a key parameter
defining different types of fuels. The distillations ranges are typically measured by ASTM
Test Method D 86 or D 2887. Therefore, blending of different components in order to
meet the specification is quite common. Further, a portion including hydrocarbons
suitable for use as diesel fuel will include a hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons heavier than the
aviation fuel portion whose chemical and physical properties meet the target diesel fuel
specifications. Examples of diesel fuel specifications include ASTM D975, EN590 and/or
F76.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, only the first distillate portion 124 is passed to the separator
107 for removing normal paraffins, thereby producing a distillate product 125 without
normal paraffins. With continued reference to the example presented above wherein the
first portion 124 includes hydrocarbons suitable for use as aviation fuel, as is known in the
art, industrial standards for the production of aviation fuel require that normal paraffins be
reduced to a much greater extent than necessary for diesel due to more stringent cold
temperature property specifications. As such, by separating the distillate 105 in the
separator 122, only a portion of the distillate 105, such as first portion 124, is required to
be passed to the separator 107 for removing normal paraffins, thereby reducing costs in the
operation of the separator 107.
[0031] A process 400 for producing linear alkylbenzenes from bio-renewable feedstocks
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is provided with reference to FIG. 4. The
process 400 includes a step 401 of hydrogenating, deoxygenating, isomerizing, and
selective hydrocracking the renewable feedstock to produce a hydrocarbon mixture. The
process 400 continues with a step 402 of separating the hydrocarbon mixture into a
naphtha portion and a distillate fuel portion. Thereafter, at step 403, the process 400
includes reforming the naphtha portion and using a high purity aromatics recovery
separation process on the reformed naphtha portion to produce benzene. At step 404, the
process 400 includes separating a normal paraffins portion from the distillate fuel portion
and dehydrogenating the normal paraffins portion to produce mono-olefins. Steps 403 and
404 can be performed in any order, and can optionally be performed in parallel. Further,
at step 405, the process concludes with reacting the benzene and the mono-olefins to
produce the linear alkylbenzene product.
[0032] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing
detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It
should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are
only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of
the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those
skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment
of the invention, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and
arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from
the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A method for producing a linear alkylbenzene product from a biorenewable
feedstock comprising a mixture of naturally-derived hydrocarbons (121), the
method comprising the steps of:
separating the mixture of naturally-derived hydrocarbons (121) into a
naphtha portion (104) and a distillate portion (105);
reforming the naphtha portion (104) to produce a reformate product (109,
110, 111);
separating the reformate product (109, 110, 111) using a high purity
aromatics recovery separation process to produce benzene ( 111);
separating a normal paraffins portion ( 113) from the distillate portion (105)
and dehydrogenating the normal paraffins portion ( 113) to produce mono-olefms;
and
reacting the benzene ( 111) and the mono-olefms to produce the linear
alkylbenzene product ( 115).
2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that producing a linear
alkylbenzene product ( 115) from a bio-renewable feedstock comprising a mixture of
naturally-derived hydrocarbons (121) comprises producing a linear alkylbenzene product
( 115) from a bio-renewable feedstock comprising one or a plurality of hydrocarbons
having between 1 and 22 carbon atoms.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of
separating the mixture of naturally-derived hydrocarbons (101) into a light ends portion
(103).
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 through 3, characterised in
that reforming the naphtha portion (104) comprises catalytic reforming.
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 through 4, characterised in
that separating the reformate product (109, 110, 111) using a high purity aromatics
recovery separation process comprises using a 2,3,4,5-tetrahydrothiophene-l,l-dioxide
solvent to produce high purity benzene.
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 through 5, characterised in
that separating the normal paraffins portion ( 113) from the distillate portion comprises a
liquid-state separation of normal paraffins from branched and cyclic components.
7. The method according to any one of claims 1 through 6, characterised in
that dehydrogenating the normal paraffins portion ( 113) to produce mono-olefms
comprises catalytically dehydrogenating the normal paraffins.
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 through 7, further comprising
the step of removing contaminants from the bio-renewable feedstock (121).
9. The method according to any one of claims 1 through 8, characterised in
that the naphtha portion (104) comprises one or a plurality of hydrocarbons having from 5
to 8 carbon atoms per molecule.
10. The method according to any one of claims 1 through 9, characterised in
that producing a linear alkylbenzene product (115) from a bio-renewable feedstock (121)
comprises producing a linear alkylbenzene product ( 115) from a bio-renewable feedstock
comprising one or more of coconut oil, babassu oil, castor oil, algae byproduct, beef
tallow oil, borage oil, camelina oil, Canola ® oil, choice white grease, coffee oil, corn oil,
Cuphea Viscosissima oil, evening primrose oil, fish oil, hemp oil, hepar oil, jatropha oil,
Lesquerella Fendleri oil, linseed oil, Moringa Oleifera oil, mustard oil, neem oil, palm oil,
perilla seed oil, pongamia seed oil, pennycress seed oil, carinata seed oil, poultry fat, rice
bran oil, soybean oil, stillingia oil, sunflower oil, tung oil, yellow grease, and cooking oil.