Goculdas, TejasYuliu, ZhifeiSadula, SunithaZheng, WeiqingSaha, BasudebNanduri, ArvindIerapetritou, MarianthiVlachos, Dionisios G.2024-08-052024-08-052024-07-03Goculdas, Tejas, Zhifei Yuliu, Sunitha Sadula, Weiqing Zheng, Basudeb Saha, Arvind Nanduri, Marianthi Ierapetritou, and Dionisios G. Vlachos. “Process Intensified Lauric Acid Self-Ketonization and Its Economic and Environmental Impact on Biolubricant Base Oil Production.” Green Chemistry 26, no. 15 (2024): 8818–30. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4GC01721H.1463-9270https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/34645This article was originally published in Green Chemistry. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4GC01721H . This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2024Lubricant base oils, traditionally derived from non-renewable petroleum, contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, oils sourced from furfural and long-chain ketones through aldol condensation and hydrodeoxygenation present a renewable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative, offering superior cold flow properties. However, the production of long-chain ketones, a crucial component, currently relies on solvent dewaxing in refineries, which is costly and non-selective. One promising biobased approach involves self-ketonization of long-chain fatty acids derived from coconut or palm kernel oils. This method typically employs high boiling point solvents like dodecane or is done in a batch configuration, limiting its scale and industrial viability. This study addresses this bottleneck by eliminating solvents, transitioning to a continuous flow reactor, and achieving kilogram-scale production of long-chain ketones with exceptional selectivity (90%). The lab-scale setup can yield up to 25 kg of 12-tricosanone per month, utilizing earth-abundant MgO as a catalyst. The catalyst underwent slight deactivation due to carbonate formation. Catalyst stabilization, using mixed metal oxides, and regeneration via simple calcination in air are also discussed. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) indicates a 29% lower minimum selling price than the commercial synthetic poly alpha olefin (PAO). Life cycle assessment (LCA) evaluates the global warming potential (GWP) under different environmental assumptions. Under the carbon-neutral assumption for lauric acid production, an 8.9% reduction in GWP was achieved compared to petroleum-based lubricants.en-USAttribution 3.0 UnportedArticle