Catalytic and Thermal Decarboxylation of Mg-Zn Basic Soap to Produce Drop-in Fuel in Diesel Boiling Ranges

Fatty acid deoxygenation is a method for producing renewable hydrocarbon fuels such as green diesel, jet biofuel and biogasoline. In the present commercial method, deoxygenation is directly applied to vegetable oils through liquid phase hydrotreatment. This method is expensive because it consumes a large amount of hydrogen and requires severe operating conditions. The objective of this study was the production of a diesel-like hydrocarbon fuel that can be considered as drop-in replacement for petroleum-based diesel fuels, by catalytic thermal decarboxylation of Mg-Zn basic soap. In particular, this study investigated the decarboxylation of Mg-Zn basic soap at low temperature and pressure, without external supply of hydrogen. The Mg-Zn basic soap (9/1 mole ratio of Mg/Zn) was derived from palm stearin and decarboxylated at 350 °C and atmospheric pressure for 5 hours. The basic soap effectively decarboxylated, yielding a diesel-like hydrocarbon fuel with a liquid product yield of 62%-weight. The resulting hydrocarbon product is a complex mixture consisting of normal paraffins in the range of carbon chain length C8–C19, iso-paraffins and various olefin products

Comparative Study of Nyamplung (Callophylum inophyllum) Kernel Oil Obtained from Mechanical and Chemical Extraction for Biofuel Production

Nyamplung (Callophylum inophyllum) contains oil around 40-73% in its seed. It has recently gained recognition as a potential source for biofuel production. The oil recovery process from renewable sources such as nyamplung is widely carried out by using chemical extraction with solvents. Nevertheless, this method is considered costly and there are safety issues as well as environmental concerns related to the solvents used. Therefore, mechanical extraction has emerged as an alternative method. In this study, the nyamplung oil recovered by mechanical extraction via hydraulic press and chemical extraction utilizing Soxhlet extraction was compared. Soxhlet extraction was carried out by using n-hexane as a solvent with a temperature of 70 oC for 5 hours. Before the extraction process, the kernel was initially pretreated to reduce the particle sizes and the water content. The results show that the oil yield recovered using the hydraulic press is 58%, which is comparable with the value obtained from Soxhlet extraction (65%). The oil characteristics were also compared, and the profiling shows no significant difference in the properties (saponification value, acid value, and iodine value) of oils recovered using both methods. The composition of fatty acids was also analyzed for utilization as a biofuel feedstock. Higher content of oleic acid was observed in oil resulted from chemical extraction while mechanical extraction yielded oil with higher palmitic acid content.A B S T R A KNyamplung (Callophylum inophyllum) mengandung minyak sebesar 40-73% dalam bijinya dan belakangan ini diakui sebagai sumber potensial untuk pembuatan biofuel. Proses perolehan minyak nabati dari biji nyamplung pada umumnya dilakukan menggunakan ekstraksi kimia dengan pelarut. Akan tetapi, metode ini cenderung berbiaya tinggi serta memiliki isu berkaitan dengan keselamatan proses dan dampak lingkungan berkaitan dengan penggunaan pelarut. Oleh karena itu, metode ekstraksi mekanis banyak dikembangkan sebagai alternatif metode ekstraksi minyak. Dalam penelitian ini, hasil perolehan minyak nyamplung melalui penekanan hidrolik dibandingkan dengan hasil dari ekstraksi Soxhlet. Ekstraksi Soxhlet dilakukan dengan pelarut n-heksana pada suhu 70 oC selama 5 jam. Sebelum proses ekstraksi, biji nyamplung mengalami perlakuan awal terlebih dahulu dengan cara digiling untuk mengurangi ukuran biji dan dipanaskan untuk mengurangi kadar air. Hasil yang diperoleh menunjukkan bahwa yield minyak dari ektraksi mekanik sebesar 58% sementara yield dari ekstraksi Soxhlet adalah 65%. Karakteristik minyak yang dihasilkan melalui kedua metode ini tidak menunjukkan perbedaan yang signifikan dalam hal nilai saponifikasi, nilai asam, dan nilai iodine. Analisis komposisi asam lemak dari kedua minyak yang dihasilkan menunjukkan bahwa minyak yang diperoleh dari ekstraksi kimia mengandung asam oleat dengan persentase yang lebih tinggi sementara minyak dari hasil ekstraksi mekanik memiliki persentase asam palmitat yang lebih tinggi

Comparison of Liquid Product Characteristics of PFAD Metal Soap Decarboxylation by Batch and Continuous Process

Well-run continuous processes will benefit the industrial world in the future. This paper investigated the effect of batch and continuous processes on metal basic soap decarboxylation in terms of the liquid product characteristics. The metal soap used in the process was made from palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) reacted with mixed metal oxides of Zn, Mg, and Ca. While the batch decarboxylation was carried out in a batch reactor at 400 °C for 5 hours, the continuous decarboxylation was conducted at 400 °C with a feed flow rate of 3.75 gr/minutes. Theoretically, the yield of batch decarboxylation is 76.6 wt% while the yield of continuous decarboxylation is 73.37 wt%. The liquid product was fractionated to separate short-chain hydrocarbon of C7-C10 (gasoline fractions) from medium- to long-chain hydrocarbons, or greater than C11 (green diesel fraction). The result showed that the alkane content from the batch process was higher than from the continuous process, whereas the continuous process produced more ketone products compared to the batch process. Furthermore, the GC-FID analysis showed a similar amount of total hydrocarbon (alkane, iso-alkane, and alkene) in both the batch and the continuous process

Catalytic and Thermal Decarboxylation of Mg-Zn Basic Soap to Produce Drop-in Fuel in Diesel Boiling Ranges

Fatty acid deoxygenation is a method for producing renewable hydrocarbon fuels such as green diesel, jet biofuel and biogasoline. In the present commercial method, deoxygenation is directly applied to vegetable oils through liquid phase hydrotreatment. This method is expensive because it consumes a large amount of hydrogen and requires severe operating conditions. The objective of this study was the production of a diesel-like hydrocarbon fuel that can be considered as drop-in replacement for petroleum-based diesel fuels, by catalytic thermal decarboxylation of Mg-Zn basic soap. In particular, this study investigated the decarboxylation of Mg-Zn basic soap at low temperature and pressure, without external supply of hydrogen. The Mg-Zn basic soap (9/1 mole ratio of Mg/Zn) was derived from palm stearin and decarboxylated at 350 °C and atmospheric pressure for 5 hours. The basic soap effectively decarboxylated, yielding a diesel-like hydrocarbon fuel with a liquid product yield of 62%-weight. The resulting hydrocarbon product is a complex mixture consisting of normal paraffins in the range of carbon chain length C8"“C19, iso-paraffins and various olefin products

The Synthesis of Magnesium Soaps as Feed for Biohydrocarbon Production

In previous study, by heating magnesium basic soaps from palm stearine will decarboxylated and produced biohydrocarbon. The frequent method to produced metal soaps from triglyceride in laboratory scale is metathesis. This process is less favored because this method would produced large amounts of salt waste and hard to develop into bigger scale. This study investigated the process and characterization of magnesium soaps from coconut oil and magnesium hydroxide via direct reaction method at 185 °C for 3 and 6 hours. The resulting soaps were washed with water and methanol, then dried. This process yield more than 80%-w metal soaps, acid values lower than 6 mg KOH/g and pH 9.2. Based on Thermogravimetry Analysis (TGA) and SEM results, the initial decomposition temperature of these metal soaps were at 300 °C and have amorphous surface morphology. From decarboxylation test of magnesium basic soaps indicate great potency as feed for biohydrocarbon production

The Synthesis of Magnesium Soaps as Feed for Biohydrocarbon Production

In previous study, by heating magnesium basic soaps from palm stearine will decarboxylated and produced biohydrocarbon. The frequent method to produced metal soaps from triglyceride in laboratory scale is metathesis. This process is less favored because this method would produced large amounts of salt waste and hard to develop into bigger scale. This study investigated the process and characterization of magnesium soaps from coconut oil and magnesium hydroxide via direct reaction method at 185 °C for 3 and 6 hours. The resulting soaps were washed with water and methanol, then dried. This process yield more than 80%-w metal soaps, acid values lower than 6 mg KOH/g and pH 9.2. Based on Thermogravimetry Analysis (TGA) and SEM results, the initial decomposition temperature of these metal soaps were at 300 °C and have amorphous surface morphology. From decarboxylation test of magnesium basic soaps indicate great potency as feed for biohydrocarbon production

High Selectivity of Alkanes Production by Calcium Basic Soap Thermal Decarboxylation

Renewable fuel production from vegetable oil and fat or its fatty acids by direct decarboxylation has been widely reported. An innovative approach to produce drop-in fuel via thermal catalytic decarboxylation of basic soap derived from palm stearin reported in this research. The catalytic effect of the calcium and magnesium metals in the basic soap and its decarboxylation on drop-in fuel yield and product distribution was studied. The catalytic effect was tested in the temperature range up to 370°C and atmospheric pressure for 5 hours in a batch reactor. It has been proved that the calcium basic soap decarboxylation, effectively produce the drop-in fuel in carbon ranges C8 – C20, in which more than 78% selectivity toward alkane. Whereas, only 70% selectivity toward alkane has been resulted from the magnesium basic soap decarboxylation

High Selectivity of Alkanes Production by Calcium Basic Soap Thermal Decarboxylation

Renewable fuel production from vegetable oil and fat or its fatty acids by direct decarboxylation has been widely reported. An innovative approach to produce drop-in fuel via thermal catalytic decarboxylation of basic soap derived from palm stearin reported in this research. The catalytic effect of the calcium and magnesium metals in the basic soap and its decarboxylation on drop-in fuel yield and product distribution was studied. The catalytic effect was tested in the temperature range up to 370°C and atmospheric pressure for 5 hours in a batch reactor. It has been proved that the calcium basic soap decarboxylation, effectively produce the drop-in fuel in carbon ranges C8 – C20, in which more than 78% selectivity toward alkane. Whereas, only 70% selectivity toward alkane has been resulted from the magnesium basic soap decarboxylation