Production de biocarburants à partir de la ressource oléagineuse

Biofuels, which are produced from renewable vegetable sources are considered as a good solution to reduce the European dependence on fossil fuel sources, from a geostrategic and environmental point of view. Because of the high proportion of diesel vehicles in Europe, biodiesel still remains by far the most produced biofuel, far ahead of ethanol. Biodiesel is obtained by transesterification of vegetable oils with an alcohol, usually methanol to produce methyl esters. This paper aims to present the contribution of the French institute IFP Energies nouvelles to this issue, through the development of two processes for biodiesel production by means of homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysis. More recent developments have focused on hydrotreating vegetable oils and are also detailed in this paper. Fuels from this latest technology are drop-in fuels allowing higher incorporation rates and offering excellent qualities for diesel engines and potentially for incorporation in Jet fuel.