Improvement on Diesel Conversion of HydroDeOxygenation Nyamplung Oil by Multi Stage H2

Abstract

Nyamplung (Calophyllum inophyllum L.) has a high survival potency in wide variety environment, fruiting
all year round and easy regeneration. Nyamplung oil is the most suitable raw material as feedstock of biofuel
because of its high yield of the seeds and in utilization not compete with food interests. Utilization nyamplung
oil for Green Diesel through two basic stages, processing into Pure Plant Oil (PPO) and PPO upgrading
into Green Diesel. PPO upgrading with target Green Diesel further divided into two stages:
Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and isomerization. In this preliminary study, PPO upgrading is only carried out
by HDO only using NiMo catalyst. HDO is done in batch processes to identify the characteristics of the
process at a temperature of 300oC, bar and the 5% catalyst. Meanwhile, to increase the nyamplung oil
conversion into diesel, then the multi-stage Hydrogen (H2) was done in the process. Stage number of H2
inserting is the major parameter in this HDO process. In the multi-stage H2: 1 times, 2 times and 4 times into
the reactor. Multi-stage H2 is done by replacing the H2 gas into the reactor, after a process gas from
previously discarded. Carboxilation and carbonilation occurs in HDO process. By multi-stage H2, it showed
an increasing yield of diesel conversion. From 1x stage H2 inserting to 2x and 4x stages of H2, it improve the
yield from 0.32% to 0.76% and to 1.3%. This shows that the yield HDO is determined largely by the
effectiveness of H2 and PPO contact with the catalyst therein. Unfortunately, this condition is very difficult to
be achieved at a high pressure batch reactor. Further testing is doing HDO in a continuous reactor and
obtained the conversion reached a yield of 50.48%.