Fluidized bed steam cracking of rapeseed oil: exploring the direct production of the molecular building blocks for the plastics industry

• Fossil-based production of plastics represents a serious sustainability challenge. The use of renewable and biogenic resources as feedstocks in the plastic industry is imminent. Thermochemical conversion enables the production of the molecular building blocks of plastic materials from widely available biogenic resources. Waste cooking oil (WCO) represents a significant fraction of these resources. This work provides insights into the thermochemical conversion of the fatty acids present in WCO, where rapeseed oil is used as the source of fatty acids. The experimental results reveal that fluidized bed steam cracking of rapeseed oil in the temperature range of 650-750 degrees C yields a product distribution rich in light olefins and mono aromatics. Up to 51% of light olefins, 15% of mono aromatics, and 13% of light paraffins were recovered through steam cracking. This means that up to 70% of the carbon in rapeseed oil was converted into molecular building blocks in a single step. The main conclusion from this study is that WCO and vegetable oils represent viable biogenic feedstocks for the direct production of the molecular building blocks, where the conversion is achieved through steam cracking in fluidized beds.

Ämnesord

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Annan lantbruksvetenskap -- Förnyelsebar bioenergi (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Other Agricultural Sciences -- Renewable Bioenergy Research (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Kemiteknik -- Kemiska processer (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Chemical Engineering -- Chemical Process Engineering (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Industriell bioteknik -- Bioenergi (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Industrial Biotechnology -- Bioenergy (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Rapeseed oil

Thermochemical conversion

Steam cracking

Plastic production

Fluidized bed

Waste cooking oil

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