An effective method for producing high density fuel candidates from pinenes is provided. MMT-K10 is an efficient catalyst for the reaction, although significant amounts of p-cymene and camphene produced as byproducts limit the overall yield to about 80%. Nafion is also an excellent catalyst for pinene dimerization and was capable of producing dimers in up to 90% yield. Pinene dimers synthesized with these heterogenous catalysts have a density and net heat of combustion comparable to JP-10. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope of the claims.