Catalytic Conversion of Palm Oil to Hydrocarbons: Performance of Various Zeolite Catalysts

The catalytic cracking of palm oil to fuels was studied in a fixed bed microreactor operated at atmospheric pressure, a reaction temperature of 350−450 °C and weight hourly space velocities (WHSVs) of 1−4 h -1 . HZSM-5, zeolite β, and ultrastable Y (USY) zeolites with different pore sizes were used to study the effects of reaction temperature and WHSV on the conversion of palm oil and yields of gasoline. The performances of HZSM-5−USY and HZSM-5−zeolite β hybrid catalysts containing 10, 20, and 30 wt % HZSM-5 were investegated. Potassium-impregnated K−HZSM-5 catalysts with different potassium loadings were used to study the effect of acidity on the selectivity for gasoline formation. The major products obtained were organic liquid product (OLP), hydrocarbon gases, and water. HZSM-5 catalyst gave conversion of 99 wt % and a gasoline yield of 28 wt % at a reaction temperature of 350 °C and WHSV of 1 h -1 and was the best among the three zeolites tested. The HZSM-5−USY hybrid catalyst performed better than USY catalyst as it resulted in a higher gasoline yield, whereas HZSM-5−zeolite β hybrid catalyst gave lower conversion compared to that of zeolite β. The selectivity for gasoline decreased from 45 to 10 wt % with an increase in potassium concentration from 0 to 1.5 wt %.