Experimental Evaluation of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils as Novel Feedstocks for Steam-Cracking Process

Hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVOs) are currently a popular renewable energy source, frequently blended into a Diesel-fuel. In the paper, HVO potential as feedstock for the steam-cracking process was investigated, since HVOs promise high yields of monomers for producing green polymers and other chemicals. Prepared HVO samples of different oil sources were studied experimentally, using pyrolysis gas chromatography to estimate their product yields in the steam-cracking process and compare them to traditional feedstocks. At 800 °C, HVOs provided significantly elevated ethylene yield, higher yield of propylene and C4 olefins, and lower oil yield than both atmospheric gas oil and hydrocracked vacuum distillate used as reference traditional feedstocks. The HVO preparation process was found to influence the distribution of steam-cracking products more than the vegetable oil used for the HVO preparation. Furthermore, pyrolysis of HVO/traditional feedstock blends was performed at different blending ratios. It provided information about the product yield dependence on blending ratio for future process design considerations. It revealed that some product yields exhibit non-linear dependence on the blending ratio, and therefore, their yields cannot be predicted by the simple principle of additivity.

Gel-permeation chromatography as a method for monitoring transformations of heavy petroleum fractions during secondary oil refining

A rapid and easy to use method for monitoring transformations of heavy oil fractions during secondary processes of oil refining is proposed. The method is based on the study of changes in the molecular weight characteristics by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) using a refractometric detector. Optimal conditions for registration of the chromatograms (temperature, eluent consumption and its composition) were specified. Heptane, toluene, and toluene added with 1% and 5% of methanol were studied as eluents, the polarity indices being arranged in a series 0.2; 2.4; 2.43; 2.54. The effect of the nature of the solvent on the type of the product chromatogram is determined. It is shown that addition of a polar solvent to a nonpolar one increases the polarity index, reduces both the degree of association of petroleum molecules and adsorption on the gel. The most available toluene which meets the GPC requirements is chosen as an eluent. Addition of 1% CH3OH to the eluent promotes suppression of polyelectrolyte effects and adsorption. The revealed absence of the dependence of the retained volume and the type of chromatograms on the eluent flow rate and temperature indicates that separation is carried out under conditions of exclusion and completely obeys the theory of exclusive liquid chromatography. The transformation of raw materials during a technological process of oil production at the JSC «ANKhK» was studied using the GPC method under above-mentioned chromatographic conditions. We have studied vacuum distillate of the primary oil refining unit ELOU+AVT-6 (VD) and the product of hydrocracking of the vacuum distillate of the 123PM unit (HVD). It is shown that determination of the molecular weight characteristics provides an important information about the behavior of technological processes. The HVD meets the requirements for hydrocracking products. A decrease in the content of aromatic hydrocarbons in comparison with the raw feedstock is proved by the data of thin layer chromatography (TLC).

Preparation of Polymer Bitumen Binder in the Presence of a Stabilizer

The article presents the results of research on the production of polymer-bitumen binder (PBB) based on mixtures of non-oxidized and oxidized petroleum products, namely high-viscosity tar, darkened vacuum distillate, and oxidized petroleum bitumen 70/100, obtained at technological installations of Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) “JV Caspi Bitum’’ and styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymer brand L 30-01A modifier in the presence of a stabilizer. The results obtained show that the introduction of the SBS modifier in the presence of a sulfur stabilizer improves the performance characteristics of PBB, such as elasticity, ductility, softening temperature, penetration, and brittleness temperature.

Method for producing low-viscosity marine fuel oil

Low-viscosity marine fuel oil that is obtained from the products of residual raw materials and middle distillate fractions of oil is intended for use in ship engines instead of a diesel fuel. A real-world application of this new composition is of great importance A proposed new composition of low-viscosity marine fuel oil is created by compounding a mixture of oil distillates in accordance with the following parameters. The oil distillate mixture should contain a vacuum distillate fraction 420-490°C, a vacuum distillate fraction 350-420°C and a straight-run diesel fraction 180-350°C taken in certain ratios. This study presents the new fuel composition and its technical advantages over previous analogues. The benefits include improvements in the coking properties and storage stability due to the stability in the pour point indicator.

Hydrocracking diversity in n-dodecane isomerization on Pt/ZSM-22 and Pt/ZSM-23 catalysts and their catalytic performance for hydrodewaxing of lube base oil

Nobel metallic Pt/ZSM-22 and Pt/ZSM-23 catalysts were prepared for hydroisomerization of normal dodecane and hydrodewaxing of heavy waxy lube base oil. The hydroisomerization performance of n-dodecane indicated that the Pt/ZSM-23 catalyst preferred to crack the C–C bond near the middle of n-dodecane chain, while the Pt/ZSM-22 catalyst was favorable for breaking the carbon chain near the end of n-dodecane. As a result, more than 2% of light products (gas plus naphtha) and 3% more of heavy lube base oil with low-pour point and high viscosity index were produced on Pt/ZSM-22 than those on Pt/ZSM-23 while using the heavy waxy vacuum distillate oil as feedstock.

Antifungal Potency of Essential Oil Components of African Ginger - Zingiber officinale (Roscoe)

The antifungal potency of essential oil ofzingiber officinale(Roscoe) (African Ginger) was investigated using the hyphal extension bioassay. The essential oil (vacuum distillate) was obtained through vacuum distillation. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the oil revealed 27 compounds with six compounds (1.8-Cineole, α-Pinene, Camphene, (E,E)-α-Fanesene, Geranial and Zingiberene) showing major biological activity. Results of antifungal screening of the bioactive blend from these compounds and vacuum distillate in comparison with four synthetic fungicides revealed that the bioactive blend was more effective against the test pathogen –Botryodiplodia theobromae(Pat.) in culture allowing the shortest hyphal lengths of 1.12cm, 0.28cm and 0.18cm at 50, 75 and 100μg/ml concentration compared with 3.39cm, 0.77cm and 0.28cm respectively obtained for forcelet (the best fungicide tested). Vacuum distillate was comparable (P<0.05) in performance to the bioactive blend. These two plant-based chemicals were persistent in their action againstB. theobromaeat all levels of concentration throughout the course of the experiment.