Page 256 - Biofuels Refining and Performance

Cracking of Lipids for Fuels and Chemicals 235

You may use these hydrocarbons as a base for biofuels. However, there are
markets for certain fractions of this hydrocarbon mixture. For example,
the C-12 to C-18 fraction is a raw material widely used for bulk com-
modities. As mineral oil prices increase, it is becoming more financially
viable to produce chemical feedstock for commodities and specialities
from wastes. Wastes are an energy and carbon source of the future.

Products at T 550 C. For a given H-ZSM-5-zeolite, the nature of con-
version products of lipids (animal fat) shifts to more aromatic com-
pounds as the temperature increases. This is demonstrated by different
NMR findings [56] for animal fat as a substrate at a reaction temperature
of T 550 C (see Figs. 8.13 through 8.15). Especially, DEPT-135
13
C-NMR pattern of oil from catalytic conversion of animal fat at 550 C
shows the dominance of aromatic protons and a very low amount of CH 2
groups. Chromatographic separation revealed alkylbenzenes (especially
1,3,5-trimethybenzene) as main products [38].

7.2 7.0 ppm 2.2 ppm

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ppm
1
Figure 8.13 H-NMR spectrogram of hydrocarbons from animal fat at T 550 C with
the commercial catalyst H-ZSM-5 (Pentasil, PZ-2/50H).