Laboratory Production of Biofuels and Biochemicals from a Rapeseed Oil through Catalytic Cracking Conversion

Siauw H. Ng; Yu Shi; Nicole E. Heshka; Yi Zhang; Edward Little

doi:10.3791/54390

Method Article

Laboratory Production of Biofuels and Biochemicals from a Rapeseed Oil through Catalytic Cracking Conversion

13.2K views

⸱

DOI:

10.3791/54390

⸱

September 2nd, 2016

Siauw H. Ng¹ , Yu Shi¹ , Nicole E. Heshka¹ , Yi Zhang¹ , Edward Little¹

¹CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada

Summary

This paper presents an experimental method to produce biofuels and biochemicals from canola oil mixed with a fossil-based feed in the presence of a catalyst at mild temperatures. Gaseous, liquid, and solid products from a reaction unit are quantified and characterized. Conversion and individual product yields are calculated and reported.

Abstract

The work is based on a reported study which investigates the processability of canola oil (bio-feed) in the presence of bitumen-derived heavy gas oil (HGO) for production of transportation fuels through a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) route. Cracking experiments are performed with a fully automated reaction unit at a fixed weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 8 hr^-1, 490-530 °C, and catalyst/oil ratios of 4-12 g/g. When a feed is in contact with catalyst in the fluid-bed reactor, cracking takes place generating gaseous, liquid, and solid products. The vapor produced is condensed and collected in a liquid receiver at -15 °C. The non-condensable effluent is first directed to a vessel and is sent, after homogenization, to an on-line gas chromatograph (GC) for refinery gas analysis. The coke deposited on the catalyst is determined in situ by burning the spent catalyst in air at high temperatures. Levels of CO₂ are measured quantitatively via an infrared (IR) cell, and are converted to coke yield. Liquid samples in the receivers are analyzed by GC for simulated distillation to determine the amounts in different boiling ranges, i.e., IBP-221 °C (gasoline), 221-343 °C (light cycle oil), and 343 °C+ (heavy cycle oil). Cracking of a feed containing canola oil generates water, which appears at the bottom of a liquid receiver and on its inner wall. Recovery of water on the wall is achieved through washing with methanol followed by Karl Fischer titration for water content. Basic results reported include conversion (the portion of the feed converted to gas and liquid product with a boiling point below 221 °C, coke, and water, if present) and yields of dry gas (H₂-C₂'s, CO, and CO₂), liquefied petroleum gas (C₃-C₄), gasoline, light cycle oil, heavy cycle oil, coke, and water, if present.

Introduction

There is strong global interest in both the private and public sectors to find efficient and economic means to produce transportation fuels from biomass-derived feedstocks. This interest is driven by a general concern over the substantial contribution of burning petroleum fossil fuels to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its associated contribution to global warming. Also, there is strong political will in North America and Europe to displace foreign-produced petroleum with renewable domestic liquid fuels. In 2008, biofuels provided 1.8% of the world's transportation fuels¹. In many developed countries, it is required that biofuels replace from 6% to 10% o....