1-Octen-3-ol, a renewable alcohol that can be readily derived from linoleic acid, was dehydrated to a mixture of conjugated octadienes. Diels-Alder cycloaddition of the mixture then generated a complex mixture of C-16 cycloalkenes. Hydrogenation and distillation of the mixture yielded a diesel fuel with a density of 0.835 g/mL, a gravimetric net heat of combustion of 43.41 MJ/L (similar to 17% higher than that of conventional biodiesel), a 40 degrees C kinematic viscosity of 3.69 mm(2)/s, and a derived cetane number of 71 (more than 30 units higher than the lower limit for conventional diesel fuel). The outstanding properties of the fuel blend suggest that it may have applications as a direct replacement for petroleum diesel or a jet fuel blendstock.