Conversion of canola oil and canola oil methyl ester (CME) to green aromatics over a HZSM-5 catalyst: a comparative study

Abstract

The catalytic conversions of canola oil and canola oil methyl ester (CME) for the production of green aromatics over a HZSM-5 catalyst were investigated. General Factorial Design (GFD) of experiments was applied in order to evaluate the aromatic production statistically. The influence of reaction conditions such as reaction temperature and Weight Hourly Space Velocity (WHSV) on the yield of the aromatic products was studied in the experiments. The reaction temperature was set at 375, 400, 450 or 500 °C and the space velocity was selected to be either 2 or 4 h⁻¹. The products comprised liquid hydrocarbon product (LHP), exhaust gases and water for both canola oil and CME. Moreover, thermal cracking of the CME for the production of aromatics was conducted at 450 and 500 °C to compare the results with the corresponding catalytic route. The LHPs were analyzed using Gas Chromatography (GC) to determine the BTX yields. Temperature, space velocity and feed type were found to be significant parameters for the production of aromatics. A comparison of CME and canola oil identified that the catalytic cracking of CME leads to higher aromatic production. Catalytic conversion of CME as well as canola oil yielded toluene as the major aromatic compound followed by para–meta xylene and benzene. Thermal cracking of the CME yielded only minor amounts of aromatic products and could not compete with the catalytic route for aromatic production.