US Patent 8729283 Chain-selective synthesis of fuel components and chemical feedstocks

A method comprising providing a starting composition comprising a polyunsaturated fatty acid, a polyunsaturated fatty ester, a carboxylate salt of a polyunsaturated fatty acid, a polyunsaturated triglyceride, or a mixture thereof; self-metathesizing the starting composition or cross-metathesizing the starting composition with at least one short-chain olefin in the presence of a metathesis catalyst to form self-/cross-metathesis products comprising: cyclohexadiene; at least one olefin; and one or more acid-, ester-, or salt-functionalized alkene; and reacting cyclohexadiene to produce at least one cycloalkane or cycloalkane derivatives. A method for producing cycloalkanes for jet fuel by providing a starting composition comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of algal and polyunsaturated vegetable oils, subjecting the starting composition to metathesis to produce metathesis product comprising at least one olefin, cyclohexadiene, and at least one acid-, ester-, or salt-functionalized alkene, and reacting the at least one olefin and cyclohexadiene to form cycloalkane(s).