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This work investigates the influence of temperature on the performance of hydrothermal carbonization of corn Stover between 175 and 250 °C, 240 min, 2.0 °C/min, and biomass-to-water ratio of 1:10. The performance analyzed for yields, energy densification and recovery. Aqueous phase analyzed for pH, acetic acid equivalent (HAc), HPLC, and GC, solid phase for dry and organic matter, ash, and elemental analysis. Solid yield (62.92–35.82%) increases with temperature, showing an inflection region between 200 and 225 °C, while that of liquid (35.43–54.59%) decreases in a similar behavior, and gas yield (1.49–9.59%) increases exponentially. GC identified alcohols, carboxylic acids, and furans. The concentration of furfural and Hidroxymethylfurfural (HMF) decreases exponentially and as a sigmoid with temperature, being not detectable at 250 °C. Carbon content increases, while oxygen and hydrogen decreases with temperature. The high heating values (HHV) increase, and the energy efficiency decreases with temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to investigate systematically the catalytic cracking of residual fat, oils, and grease (FOG) from grease traps to produce heavy diesel-like hydrocarbon fuels. The experiments were carried out in batch mode at 450 °C and 1.0 atm, with 5, 10, and 15% (wt.) Na 2 CO 3 using a laboratory scale borosilicate-glass reactor of 143 ml, and with 10% (wt.) Na 2 CO 3 in a pilot scale stirred tank slurry reactor of 143 l. The organic liquid products (OLP) were physical chemistry analyzed for acid and saponification values, density, kinematic viscosity, refractive index, flash point, and copper strip corrosion. FT-IR provided the qualitative chemical composition of OLP and heavy diesel-like fraction. The chemical compositions of OLP and heavy diesel-like hydrocarbon fuel determined by RMN and GC–MS. The laboratory experimental data showed an OLP yield ranging from 60.50 to 65.40% (wt.), a coke yield ranging between 7.50 and 9.80% (wt.), and a gas yield ranging from 16.30 to 22.06% (wt.), while pilot scale data showed an OLP yield of 66.57% (wt.), a coke yield of 9.73% (wt.), and a gas yield of 18.24% (wt.). In addition, the yield of OLP obtained in laboratory scale shows a slight increase with Na 2 CO 3 content, while the density, kinematic viscosity, acid value, and saponification value decreases in an exponential fashion with Na 2 CO 3 content. The OLP acid values varied from 19.08 to 71.50 mg KOH/g, the density between 0.827 and 0.867 g/cm 3 , and the kinematic viscosity from 3.90 to 6.35 mm 2 s −1 for laboratory data, while in pilot scale, the OLP acid value was 14.97 mg KOH/g, density of 0.820 g/cm 3 , and the kinematic viscosity of 3.485 mm 2 s −1 . The yield of heavy diesel-like hydrocarbon fraction average 19.35% (wt.) with an acid value of 7.27 mg KOH/g, density of 0.812 g/cm 3 , and kinematic viscosity of 3.51 mm 2 s −1 . FT-IR, RMN, and GC–MS analysis of OLP and heavy diesel-like hydrocarbon fraction confirms the presence of functional groups characteristic of hydrocarbons (alkenes, alkanes, ring-containing alkenes, and ring-containing alkanes, cycloalkenes, cycloalkanes, and aromatics) and oxygenates (carboxylic acids, ketones, fatty alcohols, and dienes). The GC–MS analysis of OLP and heavy diesel-like hydrocarbon fraction obtained in pilot scale with 10% (wt.) Na 2 CO 3 identified in OLP 76.97% hydrocarbons (39.44% alkenes, 31.91% alkanes, 4.12% ring-containing alkenes, and 1.50% ring-containing alkenes) and 23.03% oxygenates (12.14% carboxylic acids, 6.98% ketones, 1.90% fatty alcohols, and 2.01% dienes). The heavy diesel-like hydrocarbon fuel is composed by 69.27% (area) hydrocarbons (32.04% alkenes, 25.62% alkanes, 3.93% ring-containing alkenes, 0.98% ring-containing alkanes, 1.35% cycloalkanes, 4.88% cycloalkanes, and 0.47% aromatics) and 31.75% (area) oxygenates (4.80% carboxylic acids, 4.85% ketones, and 21.08% fatty alcohols). The physical-chemistry properties and chemical composition of heavy diesel-like hydrocarbon fuel obtained by catalytic cracking of residual fat, oils, and grease (FOG) from grease traps with 10% (wt.) Na 2 CO 3 shows the process is technically feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Process simulation of deacidification of OLP by multistage gas extraction using CO 2 as solvent with Aspen-Hysis. • Best condition obtained at 333 K, 140 bar, S/F = 17 shows a yield of 36.65% with 96.95% hydrocarbons and 3.05% (wt.) oxygenates. • The oxygenates of OLP decrease from 10% (wt.), with 2.63% (wt.) FFA, to 3.05% (wt.) oxygenates, with 0.52% (wt.) FFA. • The results of simulations show that SC-CO 2 was able to deacidify OLP and to obtain fractions with lower olefins content. Abstract Fractionation of liquid phase products (OLP), obtained by thermal catalytic cracking of palm oil, simulated in multistage countercurrent absorber/stripping columns using SC-CO 2 as solvent with Aspen-Hysys, at 333 K, 140 and 180 bar, and (S/F) = 12, 15, 17, 25, 30, 38. RK-Aspen EOS applied to correlate equilibrium data of binary systems (OLP)-i/CO 2. Composition of OLP used to predict thermophysical properties and acentric factor of OLP compounds by group-contribution methods. The effect of pressure and (S/F) on process performance evaluated by computing the yield and recoveries of hydrocarbons, olefins, oxygenates, carboxylic acids. The regressions show that RK-Aspen EOS describe well phase equilibrium data, showing AAD between 0.8% and 1.25% and 0.01%– 0.66% for the liquid and gaseous phases. The best deacidifying conditions obtained at 333 K, 140 bar, and (S/F) = 17. Simulations show that SC-CO 2 was able to deacidify OLP and to obtain fractions with lower olefins content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigated the fractional distillation on bench scale of four organic liquid products (OLPs) obtained by thermal-catalytic cracking of crude palm oil using 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% (w/w) sodium carbonate as the catalyst. The main objective of this work was to obtain biofuels similar to fuels derived from petroleum such as jet fuel and diesel fuel. Thus, the fractionation experiments were carried out at atmospheric pressure and in two distillation temperature ranges, 160–245 °C and 245–340 °C, obtaining two distilled fractions denominated green jet fuel and green diesel, respectively. The distilled fractions (biofuels) have been physical-chemical characterized by Officials AOCS and ASTM Methods regarding specific gravity at 20 °C, kinematic viscosity at 40 °C, corrosiveness to copper, acid value, saponification value, refractive index, and distillation curve. The chemical composition of distilled fractions has been determined by GC–MS. The results of the fractionation of the OLPs show that sodium carbonate is an excellent catalyst regarding yield and selectivity for the production, firstly of green diesel and secondly of green jet fuel. Most physical-chemical properties of green jet fuel and green diesel fractions are within limits established by ANP No. 37 for conventional jet fuel [aviation kerosene (QAV-1/JET A-1)] and ANP No. 65 for commercial diesel (diesel S10), respectively. The experimental distillation curve of the green jet and green diesel fractions are similar to the standard distillation curve of aviation kerosene and diesel S10, respectively. Results from GC–MS analysis revealed that the size of the hydrocarbon chains constituting the green jet fuel (C 10 -C 15 ) and green diesel (C 14 -C 17 ) fractions obtained in the present study are in agreement with the length of the chains of hydrocarbons established for aviation kerosene and diesel S10, respectively. In parallel, the increase of catalyst in the thermal-catalytic cracking process improved the yield, selectivity, physical-chemical properties and chemical composition of both biofuels. Therefore, the results presented in this paper indicate that green jet fuel and green diesel fractions can be used as a partial or total substitute for aviation kerosene and diesel S10, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the influence of catalyst content on the physical–chemical properties, yield, and chemical composition of organic liquid products (OLP) obtained by thermal catalytic cracking of palm oil (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq.) was studied at a pilot scale. The experiments were carried out in a reactor of 143 L, running in batch mode at 450 °C and 1 atm, using 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% (w/w) Na 2 CO 3 as the catalyst. Physical–chemical characterization of OLP was conducted for acid value, saponification value, specific gravity, refractive index, kinematic viscosity, copper strip corrosion, and flash point. The chemical composition of OLP was determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). As the catalyst content increased, the kinematic viscosity of OLP decreased from 6.59 to 3.63 mm 2 s −1 and the acid value from 51.56 to 1.26 mg KOH/g. The GC–MS analysis showed that OLP comprise hydrocarbons (normal paraffin, olefin, and naphthenic) and oxygenated compounds (carboxylic acids, alcohols, ketones, and esters), with a high dependency on the catalyst level. As the catalyst content increased, the concentration of hydrocarbons increased, whereas the concentration of oxygenates decreased. The optimal sodium carbonate catalyst level was found to be 15% (w/w). This gave the highest rate of conversion into biofuel, of which around 60% was OLP, and produced biofuels with the lowest acid values. The physical–chemical properties were within the limits fixed by ANP No. 65 (Diesel S10 specification) due to their high hydrocarbon content (92.84%) and low oxygenate content (7.16%). The hydrocarbons produced had characteristics similar to those of petroleum diesel, offering the potential to replace petroleum fuels without requiring deacidification or deoxygenation pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]