Conversion of rapeseed oil via catalytic cracking: Effect of the ZSM-5 catalyst on the deoxygenation process

Abstract

In the present paper rapeseed oil was considered as a potential biomass-based source of motor fuels and petrochemicals. The conversion of pure rapeseed oil and its mixture with hydrogenated vacuum gas oil (HVGO) under simulated fluid catalytic cracking conditions via MAT-test was investigated. Besides inorganic gases (CO, CO2) and water there were also organic oxygenated compounds (alkylphenolics, carboxylic acids etc.) found in the organic phase of the liquid product. For their removal we proposed to improve the catalytic system consisting predominantly of pure standard FCC equilibrium catalyst by the ZSM-5-based FCC catalyst additive. The extent of liquid product deoxygenation and the yield of gasoline were the main monitored parameters. The use of the catalyst mixture containing 10wt.% of ZSM-5 catalyst additive and 90wt.% of the standard FCC-catalyst in the case of pure rapeseed oil resulted in a practically complete removal of the organic oxygenates from the liquid product. In the case of the feed mixture rapeseed oi–-vacuum gas oil (1:9) there was found virtually no organic oxygenates in the liquid product with the gasoline yield close to the one of the pure HVGO cracking.