Catalytic conversion of canola oil to fuels and chemical feedstocks Part I. Effect of process conditions on the performance of HZSM‐5 catalyst

Abstract

Abstract The conversion of canola oil to hydrocarbons using a shape selective zeolite catalyst is reported in this work. Canola oil was passed over HZSM‐5 catalyst in a fixed bed micro‐reactor and the effects of reaction temperature and oil space velocity on the conversion and selectivity were studied using a statistical experimental design. The results show that 60–95 wt% of the canola oil can be converted to hydrocarbons in the gasoline boiling range, light gases and water. The gasoline fraction contained 60–70 wt% of aromatic hydrocarbons and the gases were mostly C 3 and C 4 paraffins. Furthermore, the spent catalyst could be regenerated completely at 600°C in 1 h with dry air.