Hydrothermal treatment of vegetable oils and fats aiming at yielding hydrocarbons: A review

Abstract

According to the International Air Transport Agency (IATA), the aviation industry causes 2% of GHG emissions. As a result, goals such as improving aircraft efficiency by 1.5% per year and achieving carbon-neutral growth by 2020 were established. In this circumstance, fuels produced from biomass seem to be a promising route. There are many routes available to convert biomass into renewable fuels such as pyrolysis, hydroprocessing, transesterification, hydrothermal processes, and steam reforming. In this study, one reports a review of hydrothermal technologies. This review reports recent information about hydrothermal processes using water in sub-and supercritical states. This article introduces some concepts of the hydrothermal processes, advantages, and different types of feedstock adopted. The parameters which have an influence on hydrothermal processes such as temperature, pressure, particle size, catalyst, biomass/water ratio, and reaction time are illuminated. Water characteristics in sub-and supercritical conditions are discussed as a highly reactive medium to increase the affinity for the extraction of value-added compounds. Additionally, this review splits and details the reaction schemes that take place under hydrothermal conditions. Finally, it introduces recent research and development (R&D) trends in the hydrothermal process of fatty acids and triglycerides.