US Navy researchers develop new class of renewable diesel

In California, researchers from the US Navy at China Lake have developed a new class of drop-in renewable diesel from biomass using acid catalyzed condensation of 2-tridecanone with a series of diols through fermentation that provide similar energy levels as traditional biodiesel while providing up to a third more octane levels and nearly double those of fossil diesel. As such, blending these new fuels with fossil fuels could provide cleaner power with higher oxygen content.