Motor fuel compositions comprising renewable raw materials

Abstract

The present invention relates to motor fuel compositions comprising at least one diesel fuel of mineral origin and at least one biodiesel fuel, characterized in that the fuel composition contains at least 20% by weight of diesel fuel of mineral origin and 0.05% to 5% by weight of at least one polymer which comprises ester groups and contains repeating units that are derived from ester monomers having 16 to 40 carbon atoms in the alcohol radical, and repeating units that are derived from ester monomers having 7 to 15 carbon atoms in the alcohol radical. The present invention further describes the use of polymers comprising ester groups as flow improvers, and also a process for operating a diesel engine.

1 . Fuel composition comprising at least one diesel fuel of mineral origin and at least one biodiesel fuel, characterized in that the fuel composition contains at least 20% by weight of diesel fuel of mineral origin and from 0.05 to 5% by weight of at least one ester-comprising polymer which comprises repeat units which are derived from ester monomers having 16 to 40 carbon atoms in the alcohol radical, and repeat units which are derived from ester monomers having 7 to 15 carbon atoms in the alcohol radical. 
     
     
         2 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer is selected from polyalkyl (meth)acrylates (PAMAs), polyalkyl fumarates and/or polyalkyl maleates. 
     
     
         3 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer contains 0.5 to 60% by weight of units which are derived from ester monomers having 16 to 40 carbon atoms in the alcohol radical. 
     
     
         4 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer contains 0.1 to 30% by weight of units which are derived from ester monomers having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alcohol radical. 
     
     
         5 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer is obtainable by polymerizing a monomer mixture which comprises
 0 to 40% by weight of one or more ethylenically unsaturated ester compounds of the formula (I)   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         in which R is hydrogen or methyl, R 1  is a linear or branched alkyl radical having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, R 2  and R 3  are each independently hydrogen or a group of the formula —COOR′ in which R′ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, 
         10 to 98% by weight of one or more ethylenically unsaturated ester compounds of the formula (II) 
       
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         in which R is hydrogen or methyl, R 4  is a linear or branched alkyl radical having 7 to 15 carbon atoms, R 5  and R 6  are each independently hydrogen or a group of the formula —COOR″ in which R″ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 7 to 15 carbon atoms, and 
         0.1 to 80% by weight of one or more ethylenically unsaturated ester compounds of the formula (III) 
       
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         in which R is hydrogen or methyl, R7 is a linear or branched alkyl radical having 16 to 40 carbon atoms, R8 and R9 are each independently hydrogen or a group of the formula —COOR′″ in which R′″ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 16 to 40 carbon atoms. 
       
     
     
         6 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer comprises at most 3% by weight of units which are derived from hydroxyl-containing monomers. 
     
     
         7 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer comprises at most 3% by weight of repeat units which are derived from ester-comprising monomers with acid-containing alcohol radicals of the formula (IV′) 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         in which R is hydrogen or methyl, R 10  is an alkyl radical which is substituted by an OH group and has 2 to 20 carbon atoms, or an alkoxylated radical of the formula (V) 
       
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         in which R 13  and R 14  are each independently hydrogen or methyl, R 15  is hydrogen or an alkyl radical having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and n is an integer from 1 to 30, R 11  and R 12  are each independently hydrogen or a group of the formula —COOR″″ in which R″″ is hydrogen or an alkyl radical which is substituted by an OH group and has 2 to 20 carbon atoms, or an alkoxylated radical of the formula (V) shown above. 
       
     
     
         8 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer has a molecular weight in the range of 40 000 to 600 000 g/mol. 
     
     
         9 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer has a polydispersity index in the range of 1.0 to 10.0. 
     
     
         10 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the ester-comprising polymer has a thickening efficiency TE100 measured at 100° C. in the range of 7.5 to 29 mm 2 /s. 
     
     
         11 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the diesel fuel of mineral origin has a boiling point in the range of 120° C. to 450° C. 
     
     
         12 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the diesel fuel of mineral origin has a kinematic viscosity measured at 40° C. to ASTM D445 in the range of 1 to 5 mm 2 /s. 
     
     
         13 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the biodiesel fuel comprises fatty acid esters which are derived from monohydric alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. 
     
     
         14 . Fuel composition according to  claim 13 , characterized in that the monoester is a methyl ester. 
     
     
         15 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the biodiesel fuel comprises at least 35% by weight of saturated fatty acid esters which have at least 16 carbon atoms in the fatty acid radical. 
     
     
         16 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the biodiesel fuel is derived from palm oil or an animal tallow. 
     
     
         17 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the fuel composition comprises at least one additive. 
     
     
         18 . Fuel composition according to  claim 17 , characterized in that at least one additive is selected from the group of the dispersants, demulsifiers, defoamers, lubricity additives, antioxidants, cetane number improvers, detergents, dyes, corrosion inhibitors and/or odourants. 
     
     
         19 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the fuel composition comprises at least 80% by weight of diesel fuel of mineral origin. 
     
     
         20 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the fuel composition contains 0.1 to 1% by weight of at least one ester-comprising polymer. 
     
     
         21 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the fuel composition consists of
 20.0 to 97.95% by weight of diesel fuel of mineral origin,   20 to 79.95% by weight of biodiesel fuel,   0.05 to 5% by weight of ester-comprising polymer and   0 to 60% by weight of additives.   
     
     
         22 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the fuel composition comprises 0.01 to 0.5% by weight of ethylene copolymer. 
     
     
         23 . Fuel composition according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the fuel composition comprises at most 0.05% by weight of ethylene copolymer. 
     
     
         24 . The method of using an ester-comprising polymers which comprise repeat units derived from unsaturated esters having 7 to 15 carbon atoms in the alcohol radical, and repeat units derived from unsaturated esters having 16 to 40 carbon atoms in the alcohol radical, in a concentration of 0.05 to 5% by weight as flow improvers in fuel compositions which comprise at least one diesel fuel of mineral origin and at least one biodiesel fuel. 
     
     
         25 . Process for operating a diesel engine, characterized in that a fuel composition according to  claim 1  is used.