Production of Diesel Fuel via Hydrogenation of Rancid Lard and Gas Oil Mixtures

Abstract

For the second generation bio-fuels the most promising product mixtures are the bio gas oils and diesel fuels containing bio gas oils. These products are in the gas oil boiling point range and made by catalytic hydrogenation of pure triglycerides or triglyceride-gas oil mixtures. The bio gas oil product is a mixture of n- and i-paraffins. During the experimental work our aim was to investigate the heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of rancid lard and its 50% mixtures of gas oil fraction on sulphided CoMo/Al2O3 catalyst. During a series of experiments we studied the effects of the different feedstocks (lard content of 50-100%) and the process parameters (temperature: 300-380 °C, pressure 40-80 bar, LHSV: 1.0-2.0 h-1, H2/feedstock rate: 600 Nm3/m3) on the yield and quality of the products. We assessed that in the course of the heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation the deoxygenation of the triglyceride part of the feedstock occurred while the removal of the sulphur and nitrogen content and the saturation of the aromatic content took place with a high degree as well. In the course of the experiments we managed to make excellent quality products, which are suitable for the use in Diesel-engines.