Co-processing of BTL Fischer-Tropsch wax and heavy vacuum gas oil

Abstract

Co-hydrocracking of Fischer-Tropsch wax (FTW) derived from forest residue and petroleum-derived heavy vacuum gas oil (HVGO) is one of the potential ways to implement synthetic fuels into the transportation sector. Neat HVGO and its blends with FTW in mass ratios of 90:10, 70:30 and 50:50 were processed in the lab-scale continuous-flow catalytic unit with a fixed-bed reactor at reaction temperatures of 390 °C, 400 °C and 410 °C and pressure of 16 MPa over commercial hydrotreating and hydrocracking catalysts. The primary liquid products were fractionated using atmospheric and vacuum distillation in order to get fraction of naphtha (up to 150 °C), kerosene (150–230 °C), atmospheric gas oil (230–360 °C) and bottom residue (above 360 °C). The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the reaction temperature and FTW content in the feedstock on the yield and quality of the obtained products and potential of their utilization in the transportation sector. The highest conversion to the desired fuel fractions was observed at the highest reaction temperature and using the highest concentration of the FTW in the feedstock. The fractions can be utilized as high-quality fuel blending components or as a valuable feedstock in the petrochemical industry.