Patent 7918905 was granted and assigned to Baker Hughes on April, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The addition of strong neutralizing amines to react with free fatty acid in biodiesel fuels that may be left from some synthesis routes can lower the total acid number (TAN) of the biodiesel fuel. Surprisingly, the strong neutralizing amines do not interfere with the biodiesel fuel itself which may be primarily fatty acid methyl esters. These strong neutralizing amines may also improve the oxidative stability of biodiesel fuels.