C15 C18 Research Articles

Enhancing catalytic isomerization ability of SAPO-11 by typical acid modification in preparation of green diesel by one-step hydrotreatment of FAME

SAPO-11 molecular sieve is a promising candidate for preparation of hydrocarbon-based biofuels. Herein, two typical acids including citric acid (CA) and nitric acid (NA) are used to modify SAPO-11. The results show that the acid concentration was within the range of 0.05–1.0 mol L−1, SAPO-11 maintained a complete crystal framework structure, and more (002) crystal planes were exposed. The specific surface area, pore diameter and acid content of molecular sieve by acid modification are significantly higher than those of the fresh SAPO-11. The pore size increased from 7 nm to 17 and 18 nm, an increase of the total acid from 104 μmol g−1 to 174 and 162 μmol g−1, respectively, when SAPO-11 was treated by CA with 0.5 mol L−1 and NA with 0.3 mol L−1. Pt–Sn/SAPO-11-CA-0.5 showed the best catalytic activity with selectivity of C15–C18 alkanes of 95.8% and iso-alkanes of 33.1%. Additionally, the deoxygenation ability of Pt–Sn/SAPO-11-CA-0.5 decreased 30% after running 1200 h. Using propionic acid (PA) as the model probe molecule, the DFT reveals steps of the hydrodecarbonylation pathway of PA absorbed on the Pt (111) plane as below: CH3CH2COOH*→CH3CH2CO*→CH3CHCO*→CH3CCO*→CH3C*+CO*, and the rate-limiting step is CH3CH2COOH*→CH3CH2CO*+OH*.

Sustainable aviation fuel – Comprehensive study on highly selective isomerization route towards HEFA based bioadditives

This paper presents the results of a biofuel production process conducted using a cutting-edge, highly selective hydroisomerization catalyst. Rapeseed oil was used as a basic raw material for the synthesis of sustainable aviation fuel. The objective was to verify the catalysts hydroisomerization activity by comparison the effectiveness of obtained biofuel using a miniature jet engine and its compliance with current standards. The developed two-stage process by Łukasiewicz - ICSO involves the conversion of rapeseed oil into a C15–C18 hydrocarbon fraction through hydrodeoxygenation and subsequent hydroisomerization using the Pt/(SAPO-11 + Al2O3) catalyst. The overall average final yield of the aviation fuel fraction (C9–C18) after 500 h of testing was (60 ± 3)% based on the initial rapeseed oil used.In comparison to 100% petrochemical JET A-1 fraction, a BIO50 blend (mixture of biocomponent and JET A-1) is characterized by a more preferable crystallization temperature (−64 °C) and a 50% lower content of aromatic compounds fulfilling all the requirements of ASTM D-7566 standard. Additionally, tests conducted on a miniature jet engine have shown, that the BIO50 mixture has a higher calorific value compared to standard petrochemical fuel, what allows to reduce the overall fuel consumption and slightly lower CO2 and NOx emissions.

Pattern recognition of hematological profiles of tumors of the digestive tract: an exploratory study.

In this study, we aimed to apply laboratory blood analysis to identify the hematological (based on hemoglobin concentration, erythrocytes, hematocrit, and RDW count) profiles associated with the most prevalent forms of digestive tract malignancies. Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate how these profiles contributed to distinguishing these tumors at diagnosis. We collected data from the date of ICD-10 diagnostic coding for C15 esophagus, C16 stomach, C18 colon, and C19 rectum tumors of 184 individuals. The statistical analysis and data visualization approaches, notably the heat map and principal component analysis (PCA), allowed for creating a summary hematological profile and identifying the most associated parameters for each pathologic state. Univariate and multivariate data modeling and ROC analysis were performed in both SPSS and Python. Our data reveal unique patterns based on tumor development anatomical location, clustering the C18 colon and C19 rectum from the C15 esophagus and C16 stomach. We found a significant difference between C16 stomach carcinoma and the other tumors, which substantially correlated with raised RDW in conjunction with low hemoglobin concentration, erythrocytes, and hematocrit counts. In contrast, C18 colon carcinoma had the higher red blood cell count, allowing for the best classification metrics in the test set of the binary logistic regression (LR) model, accounting for an AUC of 0.77 with 94% sensitivity and 52% specificity. This study emphasizes the significance of adding hematological patterns in diagnosing these malignancies, which could path further investigations regarding profiling and monitoring at the point of care.

Selective catalytic deoxygenation of palm oil to produce green diesel over Ni catalysts supported on ZrO2 and CeO2–ZrO2: Experimental and process simulation modelling studies

The selective deoxygenation of palm oil to produce green diesel has been investigated over Ni catalysts supported on ZrO2 (Ni/Zr) and CeO2–ZrO2 (Ni/CeZr) supports. The modification of the support with CeO2 acted to improve the Ni dispersion and oxygen lability of the catalyst, while reducing the overall surface acidity. The Ni/CeZr catalyst exhibited higher triglyceride (TG) conversion and yield for the desirable C15–C18 hydrocarbons, as well as improved stability compared to the unmodified Ni/Zr catalyst, with TG conversion and C15–C18 yield remaining above 85% and 80% respectively during 20 h of continuous operation at 300 oC. The high C17 yields also revealed the dominance of the deCOx (decarbonylation/decarboxylation) pathway. A fully comprehensive process simulation model has been developed to validate the experimental findings in this study, and a very good validation with the experimental data has been demonstrated. The model was then further utilised to investigate the effects of temperature, H2 partial pressure, H2/oil feed ratio and LHSV. The model predicted that maximum triglyceride conversion was attainable at reaction conditions of 300 °C temperature, 30 bar H2 partial pressure, H2/oil of 1000 cm3/cm3 feed ratio and 1.2 h−1 LHSV.

Identification of bilge oil with lubricant: Recent oil spill case studies

Oil spills have many adverse effects on the marine environment. Bilge oil spills occur frequently in the sea as a result of maritime accidents or illegal discharge. It is difficult to unambiguously identify the specific sources of such spills because bilge oil contains a mixture of fuel oil and lubricant. In this study, bilge oils with different fuel oil/lubricant ratios were prepared and analyzed using a modified version of the CEN/TR methodology (European Committee for Standardization, 2012). As the lubricant content of bilge oil increased, the intensity of the C20–C24 group, which is the commonly-used normalization compound group for fuel oil in the percentage weathering (PW) plot, also changed. Therefore, the mean area of the C15–C18 group, which was affected by the lubricant content, was used instead. Although heavy fuel oil is usually normalized to a hopane, bilge oil with a high lubricant content cannot be analyzed based on a mass spectrometry (MS)–PW plot; thus, heavy fuel oil-based bilge oil was normalized to a phytane in this study. Although hopanes and styrenes are unsuitable comparison compounds for heavy fuel oil-based bilge oil analysis, for light fuel oil-based bilge oil, hopanes and steranes could be applied as diagnostic ratio comparisons when the lubricant peak was clearly detected in the chromatograms of the spilled and suspected oil samples. By applying the CEN/TR methodology according to this approach, the similarities between spilled and suspected oil samples were more easily revealed. In addition, the field applicability of the proposed method was tested for four actual oil spills.

Effect of preparation method of NiMo/γ-Al2O3 on the FAME hydrotreatment to produce C15–C18 alkanes

The second-generation biodiesel is a clean, green and renewable energy. Herein, NiMo/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by different methods and used for hydrodeoxygenation of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) to produce C15–C18 alkanes. The Al–Ni spinel (NiAl2O4) and NiMoO4 species can be formed during the impregnation method, while NiAl2O4 and NiMoO4 can be inhibited by co-precipitation method. The Ni3+ species on the catalyst surface from impregnation and co-precipitation method was assigned to NiMoO4. Ni15Mo5/γ-Al2O3-CP (co-precipitation method) with smaller particle size of active metal oxides, large pore size, and more contents of low chemical valence states from active metal species (Ni2+ and Mo4+) shows a higher hydrodeoxygenation performance than Ni15Mo5/γ-Al2O3-IM (impregnation method). The liquid yield, conversion, oxygen removal efficiency, and selectivity of C15-18 alkanes over Ni5Mo5/γ-Al2O3-CP are 76%, 100%, 99.05%, and 92.45%, respectively. It also shows a stable catalytic performance during 200 h test.

Synthesis of Pt-based TS-1 catalysts for selective hydrogenation to produce C15–C18 alkanes from the FAME: Effect of rare-earth metal additives

Green biodiesel is a clean, renewable, and environmental-friendly biofuel, which is commonly produced through catalytic conversion of lipids. The properties of Pt-based catalyst carriers and additives are important factors determining the production of green biodiesel. Herein, titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) with a large specific surface area was synthesized by a hydrothermal crystallization process, and the rare-earth metal additives including LaOx, CeOx, PrOx, and YOx were used to modify Pt/TS-1 on the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) hydrotreatment to enhance the selectivity of C15–C18 alkanes. It is shown that the addition of rare-earth metals decreases the particle size of Pt, increases the content of Pt0 species, and changes the major reaction pathway from hydrodecarbonylation (DCO)/hydrodecarboxylation (DCO2) to hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). The Pt–Ce/TS-1 showed the best catalytic performance on the FAME hydrotreatment due to its smaller active metal particle size, more amounts of weak acid, abundant oxygen vacancies, and more content of low chemical states of Pt. The liquid yield, efficiency of deoxygenation, and selectivity of C15–C18 alkanes were 75.7%, 100%, and 97.3% over Pt–Ce/TS-1. The heating value of upgraded liquid products from Pt–Ce/TS-1 reached 49.1 MJ/kg. This work provides a new idea for Pt-based TS-1 catalysts in the preparation of green hydrocarbon biodiesel.

Efficient catalytic conversion of jatropha oil to high grade biofuel on Ni-Mo2C/MCM-41 catalysts with tuned surface properties

The activity of Mo2C-based catalyst on vegetable oil conversion into biofuel could be greatedly promoted by tuning the carbon content, while its modification mechanism on the surface properties remained elusive. Herein, the exposed active sites, the particle size and Lewis acid amount of Ni-Mo2C/MCM-41 catalysts were regulated by varying CH4 content in carbonization gas. The activity of Ni-Mo2C/MCM-41 catalysts in jatropha oil (JO) conversion showed a volcano-like trend over the catalysts with increasing CH4 content from 15% to 50% in the preparation process. The one prepared by 25% CH4 content (Ni-Mo2C(25)/MCM-41) exhibited the outstanding catalytic performance with 83.9 wt% biofuel yield and 95.2% C15–C18 selectivity. Such a variation of activity was ascribed to the most exposed active sites, the smallest particle size, and the lowest Lewis acid amount from Ni0 on the Ni-Mo2C(25)/MCM-41 catalyst surface. Moreover, the Ni-Mo2C(25)/MCM-41 catalyst could also effectively catalyze the conversion of crude waste cooking oil (WCO) into green diesel. This study offers an effective strategy to improve catalytic performance of molybdenum carbide catalyst on vegetable oil conversion.

Conversion of jet biofuel range hydrocarbons from palm oil over zeolite hybrid catalyst

The catalytic conversion of palm oil was carried out over four zeolite catalysts—Y, ZSM-5, Y-ZSM-5 hybrid, and Y/ZSM-5 composite—to produce jet biofuel with high amount of alkanes and low amount of aromatic hydrocarbons. The zeolite Y-ZSM-5 hybrid catalyst was synthesized using crystalline zeolite Y as the seed for the growth of zeolite ZSM-5. Synthesized zeolite catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and temperature programmed desorption of ammonia, while the chemical compositions of the jet biofuel were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The conversion of palm oil over zeolite Y resulted in the highest yield (42 wt%) of jet biofuel: a high selectivity of jet range alkanes (51%) and a low selectivity of jet range aromatic hydrocarbons (25%). Zeolite Y-ZSM-5 hybrid catalyst produced a decreased percentage of jet range alkane (30%) and a significant increase in the selectivity of aromatic hydrocarbons (57%). The highest conversion of palm oil to hydrocarbon compounds was achieved by zeolite Y-ZSM-5 hybrid catalyst (99%), followed by zeolite Y/ZSM-5 composite (96%), zeolite Y (91%), and zeolite ZSM-5 (74%). The reaction routes for converting palm oil to jet biofuel involve deoxygenation of fatty acids into C15–C18 alkanes via decarboxylation and decarbonylation, catalytic cracking into C8–C14 alkanes, and cycloalkanes as well as aromatization into aromatic hydrocarbon.

Aromatics formation by dehydrocyclization-cracking of methyl oleate using ZnZSM-5-alumina composite-supported NiMo sulfide catalysts

In order to investigate the dehydrocyclization-cracking of methyl oleate, one of fatty acid methyl esters, ZnZSM-5-alumina composite-supported NiMo sulfide catalysts were prepared, where the contents of NiMo were changed with the content of alumina. Approximately 100% conversion was achieved for each catalyst even at 450 °C under the 0.5 MPa hydrogen pressure while the selectivity for products changed depending on temperature and the configuration of the composite catalysts. The increase in the content of alumina and the increase in the metal content brought about the increase in the hydrocracking activity. When the content of alumina ratio was low and the metal content decreased, however, the C15–C18 diesel component increased, but hydrocracking did not proceed sufficiently and the larger amount of C19- fraction tended to be formed. The yield of aromatics increased with an optimum combination of amounts of alumina-supported NiMo sulfide and Zn-exchanged ZSM-5, and 9.3NM/Zn(13)Z(24)35A catalysts gave the highest yield of 20 wt%. This catalyst generated relatively smaller amounts of gaseous products and olefins, suggesting that most of the reaction products would be gasified once and then cyclization may occur to produce aromatic compounds. The reaction of methyl oleate started on NiMo/γ-Alumina part in NiMo/ZnZSM-5/γ-Alumina and produced C17 and C18 hydrocarbon fragments through decarboxylation, decarbonylation and hydrodeoxygenation. After successive hydrocracking by NiMo/ZnZSM-5/γ-Alumina and cracking by ZnZSM-5 part, forming smaller alkanes and alkenes, finally C2-C4 olefins and gasoline fractions would be produced. It is likely that C2-C4 olefins would be subjected to selective aromatization to benzene, toluene and xylene on Zn/ZSM-5.

Impacts of hydraulic retention time on granule behaviour and reactor activity during hydrocarbon degradation in aerobic granular reactors (AGRs) with phytotoxicity analysis

The paper is about impacts of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on granule characteristics, reactor activity, hydrocarbon removal efficiency and removal mechanism while treating emulsified diesel wastewater in aerobic granular reactors (AGRs). AGR with shortest HRT (12 h) achieved maximum 4.72 ± 0.05 mm granule size and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of 400.31 ± 0.01 mg/g volatile suspended solids (VSS) with 68.85 ± 0.06% of hydrocarbon removal. Short HRT (12 h) provided maximum biomass concentration (6.38 ± 0.05 g/L) to achieve maximum biomass activity of 8.33 ± 0.21 mg COD/mg VSS.day among the AGRs. But longest HRT (48 h) played major role providing longer reaction time for 90.31 ± 0.26% hydrocarbon removal. Degradation of short and long chain alkanes (C6–C7, C9–C10, C11–C13, C15–C18, C27) were observed in the AGRs which further produced fatty acids as metabolites. In steady state COD removal rate varied between 71- 90% which was completely depended on HRT values and hydrocarbon removal efficiency of the reactors. Nitrogen balance suggested that maximum nitrogen was utilized in biomass growth and about 2–20% nitrification occurred in the AGRs. About 24–48 h HRT with 0.125–0.25 kg/m3.day hydrocarbon loadings providing below 77 mg/L effluent hydrocarbon was recommended for successful AGR treatment to avoid phytotoxicity after disposal.

Coproduction of Value-Added Lube Base Oil and Green Diesel from Natural Triglycerides via a Simple Two-Step Process

A versatile process for coproducing green diesel and value-added lube base oil from natural triglycerides (e.g., vegetable oil, waste cooking oil, and microalgal oil) was developed. The two-step reaction process comprises (i) thermal oligomerization of triglycerides via Diels–Alder and/or radical-mediated addition of the C═C bonds within the fatty acid units and (ii) catalytic deoxygenation of the oligomerized triglycerides via hydro-upgrading. Different triglyceride sources, that is, palm oil, soybean oil, and linseed oil, were investigated as the starting feedstock. Thermal oligomerization of the triglycerides at 300 °C proceeded at the expense of the C═C bonds within the unsaturated fatty acid units. Thus, the degree of triglyceride oligomerization was enhanced when the reactant triglycerides contained more unsaturated fatty acid units (palm oil < soybean oil < soybean + linseed oil < linseed oil). The oligomerized triglycerides were subsequently deoxygenated over a Pt-MoOx/TiO2 catalyst, which converted the oligomerized and monomeric fatty acid units into lube base oil (C30–C54) and green diesel (C15–C18) fractions, respectively. The produced lube base oils were completely saturated with very high viscosity indexes (>120) and a nondetectable sulfur content, which could meet the specifications of high-quality group III lube base oil.

Parametric Studies on Hydrodeoxygenation of Rubber Seed Oil for Diesel Range Hydrocarbon Production

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is considered as a substantial path for cleaner production of fatty acids and triglycerides into diesel range hydrocarbons (DRHs) (C15–C18) generally identified as green diesel fuel. Heterogeneous catalysis suggests a supplementary approach for the conversion of biomass into significant biochemicals possibly selective hydrocarbons by an inventive method. The present study reveals the optimization of reaction parameters for the process of HDO of rubber seed oil (RSO) over the transition metal NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ (NMA) catalyst (designed via sonochemical co-impregnation approach) into DRHs, that is, n-C15-n-C18. The comprehensive studies have been performed to investigate the parametric effects employing response surface methodology using central composite design. The experimental design was conducted on the four most influential operating factors, namely, temperature within the range of 300–400 °C, weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) (1–3 h–¹), H₂/oil ratio (400–1000 N (cm³/cm³)), and pressure (30–80 bar), for triglyceride conversion and DRH yield. All the experimental runs were performed in continuous process using a fixed bed tubular reactor over the NMA catalyst. The product analysis showed that triglycerides are completely hydrodeoxygenated into DRHs with an optimum production of 84.94 wt % yield led by prime reaction conditions at a temperature of 400 °C, WHSV of 1 h–¹, pressure of 80 bar, and H₂/oil ratio of 400 N (cm³/cm³). The parametric interaction between temperature and WHSV has significantly influenced the diesel yield. The investigations validated that HDO tracked the corresponding reaction condition in competitive mode and obligated the diverse optimum and limiting reaction conditions. In addition, deactivation of the catalyst study was performed at the optimized reaction condition. The catalyst was found to be active until 18 h without bringing to sulfidization process with 80% diesel yield and 100% triglyceride conversion. The slight deactivation of the catalyst is observed, with a very small amount coke deposition even after 18 h of time on stream at the optimized reaction condition. The novelty of the present study lies in the performance of sonochemically synthesized catalyst for HDO of RSO to produce green diesel and to optimize the reaction condition and catalysts deactivation performance at optimized reaction conditions.

Hydro-processing of biomass-derived oil into straight-chain alkanes

Initially converting the glyceride-based oils derived from biomass into straight-chain alkanes are necessary for producing hydro-processed renewable jet (HRJ). In this study, palm oil was turned into C15–C18 alkanes over two different catalysts, Pd/C and NiMo/γ-Al2O3, with various reaction conditions such as temperature, pressure, weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) and H2-to-oil ratio. The fresh and used catalysts after hydro-processing reaction were then characterized through the techniques including TGA, FTIR, XRD and SEM. The liquid products were analysed through GC-MS/FID and the concentrations of C15–C18 were determined. The gas products, such as CO2, CO, C3H8, CH4 and H2, were analysed through GC-TCD for indirectly “visualizing” the reaction, including the performances of hydro-deoxygenation (HDO) as well as decarbonylation/decarboxylation, hydrogenolysis, the occurrence of methanation and the consumption of hydrogen. The suggested experimental conditions over these two catalysts were elaborated based on the concentration of n-alkanes and gas products.

Green Diesel: Biomass Feedstocks, Production Technologies, Catalytic Research, Fuel Properties and Performance in Compression Ignition Internal Combustion Engines

The present investigation provides an overview of the current technology related to the green diesel, from the classification and chemistry of the available biomass feedstocks to the possible production technologies and up to the final fuel properties and their effect in modern compression ignition internal combustion engines. Various biomass feedstocks are reviewed paying attention to their specific impact on the production of green diesel. Then, the most prominent production technologies are presented such as the hydro-processing of triglycerides, the upgrading of sugars and starches into C15–C18 saturated hydrocarbons, the upgrading of bio-oil derived by the pyrolysis of lignocellulosic materials and the “Biomass-to-Liquid” (BTL) technology which combines the production of syngas (H2 and CO) from the gasification of biomass with the production of synthetic green diesel through the Fischer-Tropsch process. For each of these technologies the involved chemistry is discussed and the necessary operation conditions for the maximum production yield and the best possible fuel properties are reviewed. Also, the relevant research for appropriate catalysts and catalyst supports is briefly presented. The fuel properties of green diesel are then discussed in comparison to the European and US Standards, to petroleum diesel and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) and, finally their effect on the compression ignition engines are analyzed. The analysis concludes that green diesel is an excellent fuel for combustion engines with remarkable properties and significantly lower emissions.

0.7 wt% Pt/beta-Al2O3 as a highly efficient catalyst for the hydrodeoxygenation of FAMEs to diesel-range alkanes

Four kinds of hydrodeoxygenation catalysts with various beta zeolite contents, Pt/Al2O3, Pt/beta(20%)-Al2O3, Pt/beta(50%)-Al2O3 and Pt/beta(80%)-Al2O3, were prepared by the wet-impregnation method and characterized by powder XRD, BET, NH3-TPD, TEM, STEM and EDX techniques. The prepared catalysts were used for the efficient production of biodiesel-range alkanes. The proportion of beta zeolite significantly affected the hydrodeoxygenation activity of catalysts. The highest FAMEs conversion rates (99.5%) and C15–C18 alkane yields (84.7%) were obtained by the Pt/beta(20%)-Al2O3 catalyst due to its larger mesoporous pore volume, moderate acidity and high dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. After compiling the product distribution results, a reaction pathway for the hydrodeoxygenation of FAMEs was discussed.

Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of rubber seed oil over sonochemically synthesized Ni-Mo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst for green diesel production

Hydrodeoxygenation is one of the promising technologies for the transformation of triglycerides into long-chain hydrocarbon fuel commonly known as green diesel. The hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of rubber seed oil into diesel range (C15–C18) hydrocarbon over non-sulphided bimetallic (Ni-Mo/γ-Al2O3 solid catalysts were studied. The catalysts were synthesized via wet impregnation method as well as sonochemical method. The synthesized catalysts were subjected to characterization methods including FESEM coupled with EDX, XRD, BET, TEM, XPS, NH3-TPD, CO-chemisorption and H2-TPR in order to investigate the effects of ultrasound irradiations on physicochemical properties of the catalyst. All the catalysts were tested for HDO reaction at 350 °C, 35 bar, H2/oil 1000 N (cm3/cm3) and WHSV = 1 h−1 in fixed bed tubular reactor. The catalyst prepared via sonochemical method showed comparatively higher specific surface area, particles in nano-size and uniform distribution of particle on the external surface of the support, higher crystallinity and lower reduction temperature as well as higher concentration of Mo4+ deoxygenating metal species. These physicochemical properties improved the catalytic activity compared to conventionally synthesized catalyst for HDO of rubber seed oil. The catalytic performance of sonochemically synthesized Ni-Mo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst (80.87%) was higher than the catalyst prepared via wet impregnation method (63.3%). The sonochemically synthesized Ni-Mo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst is found to be active, produces 80.87 wt% of diesel range hydrocarbons, and it gives high selectivity for Pentadecane (18.7 wt%), Hexadecane (16.65 wt%), Heptadecane (24.45 wt%) and Octadecane (21.0 wt%). The product distribution revealed that the deoxygenation reaction pathway was preferred. Higher conversion and higher HDO yield in this study are associated mainly with the change in concentration ratio between oxidation states of molybdenum (Mo4+, Mo5+, and Mo6+) on the external surface of the catalyst due to ultrasound irradiation during the synthesis process. Consequently, the application of sonochemically synthesized non-sulphided catalysts favored mainly hydrodeoxygenation of diesel range hydrocarbon.

Production of Hydrotreated Jatropha Oil Using Co–Mo and Ni–Mo Catalysts and Its Blending with Petroleum Diesel

Jatropha oil is a prospective non-edible resource for green diesel manufacturing. In this work, diesel-range hydrocarbons (mostly C15–C18 n-paraffins) were produced from the hydrotreatment of jatropha oil over traditional CoMo/Al2O3 and NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts in a fixed-bed reactor. The reaction variables were varied as follows: temperature, 563–653 K; pressure, 1.5–3 MPa; H2/oil ratio, 200–800 (v/v); and weight hourly space velocity, 1–4 h–1. Oil conversion was maximized (Co–Mo, 97%; Ni–Mo, 88.6%) at T = 653 K and P = 3 MPa. The hydrocarbon yield at these conditions was 62.6% (Co–Mo) and 63% (Ni–Mo). These findings were juxtaposed with our latest results on the hydrotreatment of the non-edible karanja oil. From the first-order plots of conversion of triglycerides in jatropha oil, rate constants and energy of activation were found. To improve the cold flow properties of the hydrotreated jatropha oil without isomerization, it was blended with usual diesel in varying proportions. As the concentration of usual...

A Clean Hydroprocessing of Jatropha Oil into Biofuels over a High Performance Ni-HPW/CNT Catalyst

The nickel (Ni) and phosphotungstic acid (HPW) supported on carbon nanotubes (CNT) were prepared by impregnation method for hydroprocessing of Jatropha oil. The Ni-HPW/CNT catalyst was characterized by XRD, XPS, FT-IR, N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, NH3-TPD, and TGA. The effects of reaction parameters, such as reaction temperature (280–400[Formula: see text]C), time-on-stream (0–100[Formula: see text]h), types of support, the amount of added HPW, and coking deposition were investigated. The cracking performance was evaluated by gas chromatography (GC). The yield of C15–C18 alkanes was 88.5[Formula: see text]wt.%, Iso/n ratio was 0.8 and conversion was 97.7% at 320[Formula: see text]C, 3.0[Formula: see text]MPa and 1.0/h over the Ni-HPW/CNT catalyst, while the yield of [Formula: see text] alkanes reached 51.9[Formula: see text]wt.% at 400[Formula: see text]C. The distribution of products could be adjusted by reaction temperature. The cracking performance was elevated by the addition of HPW and the electrical conductivity. The C15–C18 alkanes were further cracked through two cracking circulations. Meanwhile, the catalyst was used without sulfurization and the cracking process was green.

Green diesel production via continuous hydrotreatment of triglycerides over mesostructured γ-alumina supported NiMo/CoMo catalysts

In the present study, the deoxygenation of canola oil was performed in a continuous fix-bed reactor. Wormhole-like mesostructured γ-alumina with nano-sized crystalline domains and pores in the range of 8nm was one-pot synthesized using polymeric template assisted sol-gel method via evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). Nanoporous catalysts were prepared by employing the incipient wetness co-impregnation method followed by a calcination step, 15wt% MoO3 and 3wt% NiO or CoO, were impregnated on the nanoporous support. Both catalysts favored the hydrodeoxygenation reaction pathway, and the liquid hydrocarbons consisted mostly of C15–C18 n-alkanes. The effects of LHSV and temperature on the liquid product composition were investigated in the range of, LHSV: 1 to 3h−1, and temperature of 325 to 400°C while keeping other reaction conditions constant at a pressure of 450psi and H2/oil of 600mLmL−1. Slightly better catalytic activity was perceived for NiMo-S/γ-alumina at higher LHSV compared to CoMo-S γ-alumina catalyst. The liquid conversion on NiMo-S/γ-alumina is higher than that on CoMo-S/γ-alumina over the temperature range of 325 to 350°C. At 375°C, the conversion reached 100% over both catalysts. The production of green diesel range liquid products over NiMo-S/γ-alumina and CoMo-S/γ-alumina was found optimal at 325°C and 1h−1 LHSV.