Abstract

The hydrotreating of vegetable oils and animal fats is a possible way to produce a high-quality renewable diesel fuel component. It can be produced by processing the bio-raw material in new units or by the co-pro-cessing of the renewable raw material together with the petroleum middle distillates in existing hydrotreating units. This work was focused on investigating the effect of the hydrogen to the feedstock ratio on the hydrotreating of a mixture of petroleum middle distillates and rapeseed oil in a weight ratio of 8:2 in a tubular fixed-bed reactor. The hydrotreating was performed using a sulfided Ni-Mo/Al2O3 catalyst, a temperature of 345 °C, a WHSV of 1.0 h-1, a pressure of 4.0 MPa and a hydrogen to the feedstock ratio in the range of 120-600 m3∙m-3. The hydrogen to feedstock ratio of 120 m3∙m-3 was not sufficient to desulfurise the feedstock to the level of 10 mg∙kg-1. On the contrary, increasing the hydrogen to feedstock ratio to above 240 m3∙m-3 had no significant effect on the yield and quality of the obtained products. Therefore, the ratio of 240 m3∙m-3 was considered as sufficient for the hydrotreating of the mixture of the petroleum middle distillates and rapeseed oil.

Highlights

  • The production of a renewable component into diesel fuel from triglyceride-based feedstocks is nowadays realised in two ways

  • The feedstock containing 20 wt% of RO (F20) feedstock containing 20 wt% of the rapeseed oil (RO) was hydrotreated at the same reaction temperature, pressure and WHSV, but under a variable hydrogen to feedstock ratio: 120; 240; 360; 480 and 600 m3·m-3

  • Mixtures of petroleum middle distillates with vegetable oils, animal fats or other triglyceride-based material can be co-hydrotreated in existing gas oil hydrotreating units

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Summary

Introduction

The production of a renewable component into diesel fuel from triglyceride-based feedstocks is nowadays realised in two ways. The presence of triglycerides in the feedstock has a strong influence on the hydrogen consumption It depends on the structure (mainly the number of double bonds) and the concentration of the triglycerides and the preferred routes of the deoxygenation of the fatty acids to alkanes (see Figure 1). Carmona et al [30] reported a hydrogen consumption of 16-21 g·kg-1 of triglycerides, corresponding to 178-234 dm3·kg-1 These consumptions are given by way of example only, applies to a given feedstock, the catalysts used and the used reaction conditions. The effect of the hydrogen to feedstock ratio on the composition and properties of the liquid products from the hydrotreating of the mixture of petroleum middle distillates and rapeseed oil in an 80:20 weight ratio was studied. The hydrotreating was carried out over a sulfided Ni-Mo/Al2O3 catalyst at the pressure of 4.0 MPa, a WHSV of 1.0 h-1, and a temperature of 345 °C

Materials
Hydrotreating and products processing
Analysis of the liquid products
Calculation of the hydrogen consumption
Product yield and labelling
Composition and properties of the stabilised liquid products
Application of the liquid products in the diesel fuel production
Conclusion
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