Energies (Oct 2023)

Catalytic Cracking of Palm Oil: Effect of Catalyst Reuse and Reaction Time of the Quality of Biofuels-like Fractions

  • Nélio Teixeira Machado,
  • Andréia de Andrade Mancio da Mota,
  • Jhuliana da Silva Santanna,
  • Valtiane de Jesus Pantoja da Gama,
  • José Roberto Zamian,
  • Luiz Eduardo Pizarro Borges,
  • Silvio Alex Pereira da Mota

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207063
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 20
p. 7063

Abstract

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This work systematically investigated the influence of catalyst reuse and reaction time on the yield and quality of organic liquid products (OLP) obtained in a cracking pilot plant at 450 °C and 1.0 atm. The distillation of OLP produced 04 (four) distilled fractions (gasoline, kerosene, and green diesel). The biofuels-like fractions are liquid mixtures with high content of hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, and aromatics) with potential application as substitutes for fossil fuels in internal combustion motors. The quality of the biofuels was certified by physical-chemical analysis and FT-IR and GC-MS analysis. The experimental results showed the feasibility of applying the spent sodium carbonate twice in the catalytic cracking of vegetable oils. The physical-chemical properties (density, viscosity, acid value, saponification value, and flash point) of OLP decrease as the reaction time increases. The distillation of OLP yields 62.35% (wt.), producing green-like gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fractions rich in hydrocarbons. Therefore, biofuel-like fractions produced by distillation of OLP have a great potential for replacing partially petroleum-derived fuels.

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