Premium quality renewable diesel fuel by hydroprocessing of sunflower oil

Hydroprocessing of neat sunflower oil was carried out at 360-420 degrees 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 degrees C, it decreased to just 20 wt.% in the product obtained at 420 degrees 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 degrees C; CFPP -14 degrees C). Reaction products obtained at 400 and 420 degrees 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 degrees C showed very good low-temperature properties including cloud point (-8 degrees C) and CFPP (-15 degrees C) that was further lowered to -25 degrees C due to addition of flow improvers. (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.