Investigation of the Hydroconversion of Lard and Lard-Gas Oil Mixture on PtPd/USY Catalyst

The necessity to maintain mobility and the increasing energy- and environmentally sound demands necessitated the research, development and utilization of engine fuels from renewable resources. Because of the negative features of the already and generally applied bio-derived Diesel fuel, the biodiesel, it was necessary to research and develop other chemical processes that convert triglycerides through different reaction ways. These second generation bio-fuels are the bio gas oils, which are mixtures of n- and i-paraffins. Otherwise these hydrocarbons are the choice components of the fossil derived Diesel fuels. During the experimental work our aim was to investigate the heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of waste lard – as a renewable agro-derived feedstock – and by mixing it to deep desulphurized gas oil stream, respectively on PtPd/USY catalyst. In the course of it, we studied the effects of the process parameters (temperature: 300–380 °C, pressure 40-60-80 bar, LHSV: 0.75–1.25 h-1, H2/feedstock rate: 600 Nm3/m3) on the quality and quantity of the products. We determined that during the co-processing of lard and desulphurized gas oil, the saturation of the aromatic content and the deoxygenation of the triglyceride part of the feedstock -isoparaffins formed - took place, respectively and at process temperatures (360–380 °C) found to be favourable by us, excellent, bio-component containing and significantly dearomatized diesel fuel blending components could be obtained. These products meet the valid diesel gas oil standard EN 590:2009+A1:2010, except for their cold flow properties.