Hydrodeoxygenation process to obtain green naphtha, kerosene and diesel fractions from mesocarp and kernel oil from Elaeis guineensis fruit

Abstract

Hydrodeoxygenation of kernel oil and mesocarp oil, both derived from Elaeis guineensis fruit, extracted in a Mexican industrial plant, was carried out at 350–380 °C, 3 h reaction time, agitation at 800 rpm, using 4 wt% of NiMo activated catalyst and 75 bar initial pressure of hydrogen. The characterization techniques employed to obtain the conversion and bulk properties of the raw materials and liquid products were Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Simulated Distillation, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy; also, density, viscosity and percentage of free fatty acids were accounted for following ASTM methods. The products obtained from kernel oil showed lower density, viscosity, free fatty acid content and sulfur content as well as a better distribution of naphtha, kerosene and diesel-type fractions compared to mesocarp oil HDO products. The selectivity towards the diesel-type fraction was higher in the hydrotreated mesocarp oil products while the residua were systematically higher than the residual cut-off in the kernel oil products, regardless of the reaction temperature. In addition, triglyceride conversion was between 90 and 98%, similar for the reaction products of both kernel and mesocarp oil.