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Hydrocracking of the oils of Botryococcus braunii to transport fuels
L W Hillen1, G Pollard, L V Wake
1Aeronautical Research Laboratories, Fishermans Bend, Victoria, BHP Research Laboratories, Clayton, Victoria.
Abstract:
Hydrocarbon oils of the alga Botryococcus braunii, extracted from a natural "bloom" of the plant, have been hydrocracked to produce a distillate comprising 67% gasoline fraction, 15% aviation turbine fuel fraction, 15% diesel fuel fraction, and 3% residual oil. The distillate was examined by a number of standard petroleum industry test methods. This preliminary investigation indicates that the oils of B. braunii are suitable as a feedstock material for hydrocracking to transport fuels.
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