Method of utilizing tall oil pitch

1. A method of producing automotive fuel by treating tall oil pitch which comprises sterol esters of both fatty acids and resin acids, and optionally wood alcohol esters of both fatty acids and resin acids, in which the sterol esters are sourced from tall oil,

wherein

at least part of the fatty acids and at least part of the resin acids are released from their sterol esters and optionally wood alcohol esters and are converted into lower alkyl esters,

the lower alkyl esters thus obtained are removed by evaporation from the tall oil pitch and then condensed to produce a condensate, wherein the total metal percentage of the condensate is below 50 mg/liter and,

the condensate obtained is then hydrogenated to produce said automotive fuel.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the fatty acids and at least part of the resin acids are first released at least partly from said sterol esters and optionally wood alcohol esters by hydrolysis.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least part of the fatty acids and the at least part of the resin acids are released from said sterol esters and optionally wood alcohol esters by subjecting them to a transesterification reaction with lower alcohols.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the tall oil pitch is treated in such a way that it does not boil on an evaporation surface.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the hydrolysis is carried out in a short path evaporator.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment is carried out in a falling film evaporator, and wherein the volume of the tall oil pitch in the falling film evaporator is from ⅓to ½of the total volume of the falling film evaporator.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment is carried out in a thin film evaporator, and wherein a volume of the tall oil pitch in the thin film evaporator is from ⅓to ½of a total volume of the thin film evaporator.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lower alkyl esters are removed by evaporation at a first pressure and sterol esters are removed by evaporation at a second pressure, wherein the second pressure is lower than the first pressure.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the evaporation of the lower alkyl esters produces a distillation residue, and further comprising dissolving the distillation residue into a lower alcohol, in which the dissolving forms a separated alcohol phase, evaporating the separated alcohol phase, and recovering sterols for further processing.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lower alkyl esters are decarboxylated by hydrogenation of the condensate, wherein said hydrogenation decarboxylates the lower alkyl esters and saturates double bonds of the lower alkyl esters.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lower alkyl esters are condensed after the evaporation.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least 50% by mole of both the fatty acids and resin acids are released from their sterol esters and optionally wood alcohol esters and are converted to lower alkyl esters.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least part of the fatty acids and the at least part of the resin acids are released from said sterol esters and optionally wood alcohol esters by subjecting them to a transesterification reaction with a C 1-4 alcohol.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein before the hydrogenation of the condensate (Cu+Pb+Zn) percentages in the condensate are together at maximum 300 μg/liter.

15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said lower alkyl esters are condensed within 1 to 60 minutes after the evaporation.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said lower alkyl esters are condensed with 1 to 10 minutes after the evaporation.

17. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the C 1-4 alcohol is selected from methanol or ethanol.