Processing of biomass-derived feedstocks in a petroleum refinery: Catalytic cracking of biomass-derived feedstocks

PETR 54

George W Huber, huber@ecs.umass.edu1, Laurent Sauvanaud2, Paul O’Connor, paul.oconnor@bio-e-con.com3, and Avelino Corma, acorma@itq.upv.es2. (1) Chemical Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, 686 N. Pleasant St, 112 Goessmann Laboratory, Amherst, MA 01003, (2) Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica (UPV-CSIC), Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Camino Naranjos s.n, 46022 Valencia, Spain, (3) BioeCon Inc, Hogebrinkerweg 15E, Heovelaken, 3871KM, Netherlands
One option for biofuel production is to use petroleum refinery technologies (i.e. catalytic cracking and hydrotreating) for biofuels production. We will discuss the feasibility and chemistry of utilizing the FCC process for biofuel production. We have studied the reaction pathways for conversion of glycerol and sorbitol (representative biomass-derived feedstocks) over six different zeolite based catalysts. In this process, oxygen is removed from the feed as H2O, CO or CO2. Repeated dehydration and hydrogen transfer allows the production of olefins, paraffins, and coke. Aromatics (in yields up to 20 molar carbon %) are formed by Diels-alder and condensation reactions of olefins and dehydrated species. Glycerol can also be converted by FCC when co-fed with petroleum-derived products (i.e. vacuum gas-oil) without significantly altering the product selectivity. A modified FCC process can also be used to make valuable oxygenated intermediates (including acrolein, acealdehyde) from biomass-derived feedstocks.
 

BioFuels: Renewable Liquid Fuels & Chemicals from Biomass
1:30 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- Whittier Rm, Oral

Division of Petroleum Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007