Techno-economic analysis of co-production of bio-hydrogenated diesel from palm oil and methanol

A bio-hydrogenated diesel (BHD) or green diesel is produced from refined bleached deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) via a heterogeneous catalytic reaction which requires high hydrogen to oil volumetric ratio for a complete conversion of oil. In this regard, a hydrogen recovery process is required to reduce a high amount of hydrogen loss in a gas by-product. This work proposes coupling the conventional BHD process with a production of methanol, a valuable co-product, and performs its techno-economic evaluation in comparison with the standalone BHD process. The results showed that the BHD process coupled with the methanol synthesis can recover by 46.3% of discharged hydrogen and reduce 14% of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions from the production process. Furthermore, methanol synthesis could improve the internal rate of return (IRR) by 23.2%, shorten the payback period by 2.81 years, and increase the net present value (NPV) by 54.41 million USD relative to the BHD process. Finally, environment potential impact of both processes are analyzed. The most significant on the environment is hydro-processing stage and both processes provide same environmental results.

Automated summary

Coupling the BHD process with methanol synthesis can significantly increase hydrogen recovery rate, reduce CO2 and CO emissions, and improve the internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV).