Introduction
Fats and vegetable oils are largely utilized for food and to produce
renewable fuels. Conversion of oils to higher molecular weight species
(polymerization) during frying or storage is detrimental to health and
bio-refinery processes . One measure of edible oil deterioration is
polymer concentration . Indeed, vegetable oils also used to synthesize
polymers . Yet the molecular transformations and cross-links in the
polymers are vague and controversial.
Biodiesel, produced from oils and fats of plants and animals, is a
renewable and biodegradable alternative to fossil diesel. Worldwide
fossil petroleum reserves are expected to run out this century.
Industrial production relies on catalytic transesterification of virgin
plant oils (palm, soy, canola) and recycled cooking oils to produce
methyl esters and glycerol byproduct, Figure 1 . One
biorefinery problem is oxidative polymerization reactions , during
storage, handling, and conversion, that decrease productivity.