Catalytic cracking of soybean oil by hierarchical zeolite containing mesoporous silica-aluminas using a Curie point pyrolyzer

Abstract

Catalytic cracking of soybean oil using hierarchical zeolite-containing mesoporous silica-aluminas was successfully estimated using a Curie point pyrolyzer. Most of the prepared catalysts exhibited higher catalytic activity and selectivity for gasoline than did a simple zeolite. The catalysts prepared using a larger amount of malic acid developed mesoporous structures and showed higher olefin/paraffin ratios and research octane numbers (RONs) than the simple zeolite and a catalyst with a microporous structure. When β zeolite-containing catalysts were used, the ratio of multi/single branched products in the gasoline fraction reached more than 0.40, which was considerably larger than that obtained using a simple zeolite. When the yields of gasoline, single-branched products and multi-branched products were plotted against the conversion of soybean oil, approximately linear relationships were observed for every plot. When the yields of gasoline and single-branched products were compared at the same conversion, the yields from the HY zeolite-containing catalysts were higher than those from the β zeolite-containing catalysts. These results were consistent with those for the catalytic cracking of VGO previously reported. However, the yields of multi-branched products from β zeolite-containing catalysts were higher than those from HY zeolite-containing catalysts. This result was different for VGO cracking, where the yield of multi-branched products from HY zeolite was higher. Furthermore, the RON of gasoline and the yield of aromatic compounds were higher than those for the catalytic cracking of VGO.