A new class of renewable diesel fuels has been synthesized by acid catalyzed condensation of 2-tridecanone with a series of diols that can be generated from biomass. These fuels exhibit comparable net heats of combustion (NHOCs) to conventional biodiesel, while maintaining derived cetane numbers between 82-91, values which are 20–30 units higher than conventional biodiesel and 40–50 units higher than petroleum-derived diesel fuel. The short combustion delays of the dioxolane fuels make them compelling blendstocks to enhance the combustion efficiency of petroleum-derived diesel fuel by increasing the cetane number and oxygen content of the blends. In addition, careful selection of the renewable diol allows for custom tailoring of viscosity and freezing point. Unlike conventional biodiesel which is often generated from plant or animal derived triglycerides, 2-tridecanone and other methyl ketones, along with the diols, can be efficiently generated from biomass sugars or CO₂/H₂via fermentation with metabolically engineered microorganisms. This biosynthetic approach may allow for the generation of these fuels on industrially relevant scales while eliminating competition with food sources and promoting responsible use of land resources.

中文翻译：

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由生物基甲基酮和二醇制备的高十六烷值可再生柴油燃料†

通过2-丁烷酮与一系列可由生物质产生的二醇的酸催化缩合，已合成出一类新型的可再生柴油燃料。这些燃料表现出与常规生物柴油相当的净燃烧热（NHOC），而十六烷值保持在82-91之间，该值比常规生物柴油高20-30个单位，比石油衍生柴油高40-50个单位。二氧戊环燃料的短暂燃烧延迟使它们成为引人注目的混合原料，从而通过增加混合物的十六烷值和氧含量来提高石油衍生柴油的燃烧效率。此外，仔细选择可再生二醇可定制粘度和凝固点。₂ / H ₂通过代谢工程微生物发酵。这种生物合成方法可以在与工业相关的规模上生产这些燃料，同时消除与食物来源的竞争并促进对土地资源的负责任使用。