Abstract
The performance of a commercial FCC catalyst (designated as CY) and a physically mixed hybrid catalyst (80 wt.% CY and 20 wt.% HZSM-5-based catalyst, designated as CH) have been compared in the catalytic cracking of a vacuum gasoil (VGO)/bio-oil blend (80/20 wt.%) in a simulated riser reactor (C/O, 6gcatgfeed−1; t, 6 s). The effect of cracking temperature has been studied on product distribution (carbon products, water, and coke) and product lumps: CO+CO2, dry gas, liquified petroleum gases (LPG), gasoline, light cycle oil (LCO), heavy cycle oil (HCO), and coke. Using the CH catalyst, the conversion of the bio-oil oxygenates is ca. 3 wt.% higher, while the conversion of the hydrocarbons in the mixture is lower, yielding more carbon products (83.2–84.7 wt.% on a wet basis) and less coke (3.7–4.8 wt.% on a wet basis) than the CY catalyst. The CH catalyst provides lower gasoline yields (30.7–32.0 wt.% on a dry basis) of a less aromatic and more olefinic nature. Due to gasoline overcracking, enhanced LPG yields were also obtained. The results are explained by the high activity of the HZSM-5 zeolite for the cracking of bio-oil oxygenates, the diffusional limitations within its pore structure of bulkier VGO compounds, and its lower activity towards hydrogen transfer reactions.
Highlights
The road to sustainability from a fossil-dependent energetic scenario to a more sustainable one brings about a number of technical, economical, and societal challenges
Two zeolite-based catalysts were used in this study: (i) an equilibrated industrial fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst, directly sampled from the outlet stream of a FCC unit from Petronor S.A. (Somorrostro, Spain), containing 15 wt.% HY zeolite and that has been equilibrated in subsequent reaction-regeneration cycles in the industrial unit and (ii) a catalyst based on HZSM-5 zeolite, which has been calcined at 550 ◦ C under a N2 stream for 4 h, and subsequently agglomerated in a matrix by wet extrusion of the active phase, binder, and inert filler (α-Al2 O3, 78 wt.%)
The application of a hybrid catalyst (CH), consisting of an 80 wt.% of a commercial FCC catalyst and 20 wt.% of a HZSM-5-based catalyst leads to remarkable differences in conversion, product yields, and composition on the catalytic cracking of a vacuum gasoil (VGO)/bio-oil (80/20 wt.%) blend in the 500–560 ◦ C
Summary
The road to sustainability from a fossil-dependent energetic scenario to a more sustainable one brings about a number of technical, economical, and societal challenges. Among these, adapting existing refinery structures for a more versatile and efficient operation is of crucial importance In this transition, incorporating lignocellulosic biomass in biorefinery platforms is a viable strategy for the production of “green” fuels and chemicals, while simultaneously reducing oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions [1,2]. Bio-oil attracts great interest as a biorefinery platform because it can be upgraded to renewable or blended hydrocarbon fuels through a number of routes [3,4]. This interest is grounded in the technological development attained for bio-oil production through biomass fast pyrolysis, with simple technologies of low environmental impact [5].
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