Catalytic conversion of canola oil to fuels and chemical feedstocks Part I. Effect of process conditions on the performance of HZSM‐5 catalyst

The conversion of canola oil to hydrocarbons using a shape selective zeolite catalyst is reported in this work. Canola oil was passed over HZSM‐5 catalyst in a fixed bed micro‐reactor and the effects of reaction temperature and oil space velocity on the conversion and selectivity were studied using a statistical experimental design. The results show that 60–95 wt% of the canola oil can be converted to hydrocarbons in the gasoline boiling range, light gases and water. The gasoline fraction contained 60–70 wt% of aromatic hydrocarbons and the gases were mostly C3 and C4 paraffins. Furthermore, the spent catalyst could be regenerated completely at 600°C in 1 h with dry air.