Researchers in Japan explore pathway to produce renewable diesel from rapeseed oil
27 November 2015
A team at Kyoto University in Japan has investigated the production of renewable diesel hydrocarbons from rapeseed oil using hydrothermal hydrogenation and subsequent decarboxylation in a batch-type reaction vessel. By blending the obtained hydrocarbons from rapeseed oil with an adequate amount of fossil diesel, the blended fuel could satisfy the specification standard of fossil diesel in Japan.
They found an appropriate reaction condition for hydrothermal hydrogenation was 270 °C/5 MPa (H2 pressure) with water and Pd/C catalyst for 60 min, under which triglycerides were simultaneously hydrolyzed and hydrogenated into saturated fatty acids in a yield of 98.4 mol%.
The obtained saturated fatty acids were then decarboxylated to hydrocarbons under the condition of 300 °C/1 MPa (H2 pressure) with Pd/C for 120 min in a yield of 91.5 mol% on rapeseed oil.
They also found that the composition of the obtained hydrocarbons corresponded nearly to that of the fatty acid in rapeseed oil. This suggests that the composition of hydrocarbons produced in this proposed process can be foreseen from fatty acid composition of the feedstock triglycerides.
Resources
Yuitsu Sugami, Eiji Minami, Shiro Saka (2015) “Renewable diesel production from rapeseed oil with hydrothermal hydrogenation and subsequent decarboxylation,” Fuel, Volume 166, Pages 376-381, ISSN 0016-2361, doi: 10.1016/j.fuel.2015.10.117
Oh yaaaay, yet more work on engines to keep emitting NOx in cities. You do realize that biodiesel is even worse than the fossil type when it comes to NOx? Just start doing electric like everyone else. You're wasting our time and your money.
Posted by: DaveD | 29 November 2015 at 01:45 PM
B20 is a 4% increase in NOx for soy biodiesel.
How is that worth even mentioning?
Posted by: NewtonPulsifer | 29 November 2015 at 07:31 PM