Converting Algal Triglycerides to Diesel and HEFA Jet Fuel Fractions
Abstract
Over 2 L of algal triglycerides were first converted to n -alkanes using a 3% Pd/carbon catalyst in a fixed bed reactor at 350 °C under 800 psig of H 2 . The starting triglyceride was composed of 10.5% C 16 and 85.2% C 18 fatty acids. The Pd/C catalyst exhibited primarily decarbonylation and total reduction deoxygenation pathways, which changed in relative contribution over the nearly 200 h of continuous operation. Both the C 18 /(C 18 +C 17 ) and C 16 /(C 16 +C 15 ) product ratios changed from 0.3 at the start of the deoxygenation run to 0.6 at its conclusion. Overall, the catalyst became more active during the run. After a first pass deoxygenation, over 85% of the product was composed of n -alkanes divided nearly equally between the C n and C n –1 chain lengths corresponding to the starting fatty acid chain lengths. The alkanes along with a few percent 1-alcohols were separated from the remaining incompletely converted components by distillation and subjected to a polishing hydrogenation using a 0.5% Pt/alumina catalyst. A portion of this first pass n -alkane composite was hydroisomerized to improve its cold flow properties using a 0.5% Pt/US-Y zeolite catalyst. Even with an iso/normal ratio of just over 1 in the product stream, the mixture solidified near ambient temperature. To further improve the cold flow properties of this diesel composition, it was subjected to a solvent dewaxing procedure, which yielded a product that remained liquid at −20 °C. The incompletely converted components remaining after the first pass deoxygenation were subjected to a second deoxygenation pass under the same conditions used for the fresh triglycerides. The product alkanes were again separated by distillation, alcohols were reduced to alkanes, and a single composite alkane mixture was prepared by combining the first and second pass alkanes. Overall, more than 95% of the product stream produced by the two deoxygenation passes was composed of n -alkanes. This final composite mixture was processed further to a HEFA (hydrotreated esters and fatty acids) jet composition using the same 0.5% Pt/US-Y zeolite catalyst at three different conversion severities. With single pass cracking conversions of 43%, 59%, and 93%, yield losses of 41%, 44%, and 75% to a C 8– naphtha fraction were observed. Such high yield losses argue against a strategy where HEFA jet is the primarily targeted product. We suggest a strategy in which the yield loss to naphtha can be limited to less than 10% based on making principally a renewable diesel fuel from which a HEFA jet can be extracted as a minority product.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Solvent dewaxing yielded a product that remained liquid at -20°C.
“solvent dewaxing yielded a product that remained liquid at -20°C”
From Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Single-Cell Oils to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Converting microbial lipids to fuels is a promising approach to replace fossil fuels (2021) · cites this paper as [98]
With the large-pore Pt/USY zeolite catalyst, isomerisation and cracking were competitive, resulting in a 40% or more mass loss to naphtha-range hydrocarbons.
“With the large-pore Pt/USY zeolite catalyst, isomerisation and cracking were competitive, resulting in a 40% or more mass loss to naphtha-range hydrocarbons”
From Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Single-Cell Oils to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Converting microbial lipids to fuels is a promising approach to replace fossil fuels (2021) · cites this paper as [98]
Cites
Deoxygenation of vegetable oils over sulfided Ni, Mo and NiMo catalysts
Kubička, D., & Kaluža, L. (2009) · Applied Catalysis A General · doi:10.1016/j.apcata.2009.10.034 · Cited by 526 · see citing works
Hydrocarbons for diesel fuel via decarboxylation of vegetable oils
Kubičková, I., Snåre, M., Eränen, K., Mäki‐Arvela, P., & Murzin, D. Y. (2005) · Catalysis Today · doi:10.1016/j.cattod.2005.07.188 · Cited by 399 · see citing works
Catalytic Deoxygenation of Fatty Acids and Their Derivatives
Mäki‐Arvela, P., Kubičková, I., Snåre, M., Eränen, K., & Murzin, D. Y. (2006) · Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1021/ef060455v · Cited by 361 · see citing works
Snåre, M., Kubičková, I., Mäki‐Arvela, P., Chichova, D., Eränen, K., & Murzin, D. Y. (2007) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2007.06.006 · Cited by 341 · see citing works
Chemical, thermal stability, seal swell, and emissions studies of alternative jet fuels
Corporan, E., Edwards, T., Shafer, L., DeWitt, M. J., Klingshirn, C., Zabarnick, S., West, Z., Striebich, R., Graham, J., & Klein, J. (2011) · Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1021/ef101520v · Cited by 315 · see citing works
Self-citationFischer-Tropsch Waxes Upgrading via Hydrocracking and Selective Hydroisomerization
Bouchy, C., Hastoy, G., Guillon, E., & Martens, J. (2009) · Oil & Gas Science and Technology – Revue d’IFP Energies nouvelles · doi:10.2516/ogst/2008047 · Cited by 245 · see citing works
Deactivation of HDS catalysts in deoxygenation of vegetable oils
Kubička, D., & Horáček, J. (2011) · Applied Catalysis A: General · doi:10.1016/j.apcata.2010.10.034 · Cited by 242 · see citing works
Fuel purpose hydrotreating of sunflower oil on CoMo/Al2O3 catalyst
Krár, M., Kovács, S., Kalló, D., & Hancsók, J. (2010) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2010.06.107 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Kubičková, I., & Kubička, D. (2010) · Waste and Biomass Valorization · doi:10.1007/s12649-010-9032-8 · Cited by 183 · see citing works
Catalytic Deoxygenation of Methyl-Octanoate and Methyl-Stearate on Pt/Al2O3
Do, P. T., Chiappero, M., Lobban, L. L., & Resasco, D. E. (2009) · Catalysis Letters · doi:10.1007/s10562-009-9900-7 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Han, J., Duan, J., Chen, P., et al. (2011) · Green Chemistry · doi:10.1039/c1gc15421d · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Premium quality renewable diesel fuel by hydroprocessing of sunflower oil
Šimáček, P., Kubička, D., Kubičková, I., Homola, F., Pospíšil, M., & Chudoba, J. (2011) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2011.03.013 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Influence of Hydrogen in Catalytic Deoxygenation of Fatty Acids and Their Derivatives over Pd/C
Rozmysłowicz, B., Mäki‐Arvela, P., Tokarev, A. V., et al. (2011) · Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research · doi:10.1021/ie202421x · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Claude, M. C., Vanbutsele, G., & Martens, J. A. (2001) · Journal of Catalysis · doi:10.1006/jcat.2001.3325 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Fed-Batch Catalytic Deoxygenation of Free Fatty Acids
Immer, J. G., & Lamb, H. H. (2010) · Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1021/ef100576z · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Catalytic Hydrocracking of Fresh and Used Cooking Oil
Bezergianni, S., Voutetakis, S. S., & Kalogianni, A. (2009) · Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research · doi:10.1021/ie900445m · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Degnan, T. F. (2007) · Studies in surface science and catalysis · doi:10.1016/s0167-2991(07)80825-1 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Selectivity Effect of Oxygenates in Hydrocracking of Fischer−Tropsch Waxes
Leckel, D. (2007) · Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1021/ef060603h · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Standard Test Method for Analysis of Petroleum Waxes by Gas Chromatography
Drews, A. (2008) · ASTM International eBooks · doi:10.1520/mnl10975m · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Bergthorson, J. M., & Thomson, M. J. (2015) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.10.034 · Cited by 427 · see citing works
An overview on performance characteristics of bio-jet fuels
Yang, J., Xin, Z., He, Q. (., Corscadden, K., & Niu, H. (2019) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2018.10.079 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
Wet organic waste treatment via hydrothermal processing: A critical review
Marzbali, M. H., Kundu, S., Halder, P., Patel, S., Hakeem, I. G., Paz-Ferreiro, J., Madapusi, S., Surapaneni, A., & Shah, K. (2021) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130557 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Viêgas, C. V., Hachemi, I., Freitas, S. P., Mäki-Arvela, P., Aho, A., Hemming, J., Smeds, A., Heinmaa, I., Fontes, F. B., da Silva Pereira, D. C., et al. (2015) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2015.03.064 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Integrated diesel production from lignocellulosic sugars <i>via</i> oleaginous yeast
Sànchez i Nogué, V., Black, B. A., Kruger, J. S., Singer, C. A., Ramirez, K. J., Reed, M. L., Cleveland, N. S., Singer, E. R., Yi, X., Yeap, R. Y., et al. (2018) · Green Chemistry · doi:10.1039/c8gc01905c · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Bleaching and Hydroprocessing of Algal Biomass-Derived Lipids to Produce Renewable Diesel Fuel
Kruger, J. S., Christensen, E. D., Dong, T., Van Wychen, S., Fioroni, G. M., Pienkos, P. T., & McCormick, R. L. (2017) · Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b01867 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Kruger, J. S., Knoshaug, E. P., Dong, T., Hull, T. C., & Pienkos, P. T. (2021) · Johnson Matthey Technology Review · doi:10.1595/205651321x16024905831259 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Schulz, T. C., Oelschlager, M., Thompson, S. T., Vermaas, W. F. J., Nielsen, D. R., & Lamb, H. H. (2018) · Sustainable Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1039/c7se00558j · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- Robota, H. J., Alger, J. C., & Shafer, L.
- Affiliations
- University of Dayton Research Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Robota, Heinz J.
- Venue
- Energy & Fuels
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2013-02-07
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 985-996
- ISSN
- 0887-0624 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5029
- OpenAlex
- W2325000870
- Cited by
- 104
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 8.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Energy & Fuels (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Catalysis and Hydrodesulfurization Studies
- Physical Sciences › Chemical Engineering › Catalysis › Catalysts for Methane Reforming
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Catalysis for Biomass Conversion
- Keywords
- deoxygenation, palladium on carbon, Pt/Al2O3 catalyst, hydroisomerization, solvent dewaxing, diesel fuel, cold flow properties, catalyst deactivation, biodiesel upgrading, fixed-bed reactor
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
