Popis

Hydroprocessing of neat sunflower oil was carried out at 360–420 °C and 18 MPa over a commercial hydrocracking catalyst in a bench scale fixed bed reactor. In the studied experimental range, products consisted exclusively of hydrocarbons that differed significantly in composition. While the concentration of n-alkanes exceeded 67 wt.% in the reaction products collected at 360 °C, it decreased to just 20 wt.% in the product obtained at 420 °C. Consequently, the fuel properties of the latter product were very similar to those of standard (petroleum-derived) diesel fuel. Particularly, it exhibited excellent low-temperature properties (cloud point -11 °C; CFPP -14 °C). Reaction products obtained at 400 and 420 °C were blended into petroleum-derived diesel fuel in three concentration levels ranging from 10 to 50 wt.% and the fuel properties of these mixtures were evaluated. Diesel fuel mixtures containing the product of sunflower oil hydrocracking at 420 °C showed very good low-temperature properties including cloud point (-8 °C ) and CFPP (-15 °C) that was further lowered to -25 °C due to addition of flow improvers.