Process for the production of renewable base oil, diesel and naphtha

A method for producing a renewable base oil and a diesel fuel from a feedstock of biological origin, the method comprising:

• a) providing a feedstock, the feedstock containing 2-95 wt % of a mixture of free fatty acids;
• 5-98 wt % fatty acid glycerols selected from mono-glycerides, di-glycerides and tri-glycerides of fatty acids;
• and 0-50 wt % of one or more compounds selected from a list consisting of:
• fatty acid esters of the non-glycerol compound, fatty amides, and fatty alcohols;
• wherein at least 50 wt % of the feedstock is made up of the mixture of free fatty acids and fatty acid glycerols;
• b) separating the feedstock into at least:
• a free fatty acid feed having a higher concentration of free fatty acids than the feedstock, the free fatty acids containing C10-C24 fatty acids;
• and
• one or more free fatty acid depleted feed(s) having higher concentration of the compounds selected from mono-glycerides, di-glycerides and tri-glycerides of fatty acids, and having a higher boiling point than the free fatty acid feed;
• c) subjecting the free fatty acid feed to ketonisation reaction conditions where two fatty acids react to yield a ketone stream, the ketone stream containing as a major part saturated ketones;
• d) subjecting the ketone stream to both hydrodeoxygenation reaction conditions and to hydroisomerisation reaction conditions, simultaneously or in sequence, to yield a deoxygenated and isomerised base oil stream containing the renewable base oil;
• and
• e) transforming the one or more free fatty acid depleted feed(s) into a diesel fuel.