Process for producing a saturated hydrocarbon component

• US 20070131579A1
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neste Oil Oyj
• Original Assignee: Neste Oil Oyj
• Inventors: Koivusalmi, Eija, Matikainen, Jorma, Karhunen, Pirkko, Kilpelainen, Ilkka
• Granted Patent: US 7,888,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 208/19
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1014 of vegetal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1018 of animal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/302 Viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/4018 Spatial velocity, e.g. LHSV, WHSV
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/02 Gasoline
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/04 Diesel oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/10 Lubricating oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/18 Solvents
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/45 containing iron group metals or compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/46 in combination with chromium, molybdenum, tungsten metals or compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/47 containing platinum group metals or compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/50 in the presence of hydrogen, hydrogen donors or hydrogen generating compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10M 107/10 containing aliphatic monomer having more than 4 carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C10M 2205/0285 used as base material
• CPC Class Codes: C10N 2020/02 Viscosity; Viscosity index
• CPC Class Codes: C10N 2020/04 Molecular weight; Molecular weight distribution
• CPC Class Codes: C10N 2020/065 Saturated Compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10N 2060/02 Reduction, e.g. hydrogenation
• CPC Class Codes: C10N 2070/00 Specific manufacturing methods for lubricant compositions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/141 Feedstock
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 : using bio-feedstock

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for producing high-quality saturated base oil or a base oil component based on hydrocarbons. The process of the invention comprises two main steps, the oligomerization and deoxygenation. A biological starting material containing unsaturated carboxylic acids and/or esters of carboxylic acids is preferably used as the feedstock.

Claims

1. Process for producing a saturated hydrocarbon component, characterized in that feedstock comprising one or more component(s) selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids having carbon numbers from C4 to C38, esters of C4 to C38 carboxylic acids and C1-C11 alcohols, C4-C38 carboxylic acid anhydrides, and C4-C38 alcohols is oligomerized and deoxygenized, said feedstock containing at least 50% by weight of unsaturated and/or polyunsaturated compounds.

2. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the feedstock comprises one or more component(s) selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids having carbon numbers from C4 to C24, esters of C12 to C24 carboxylic acids and C1-C3 alcohols, C12-C24 carboxylic acid anhydrides and C12-C24 alcohols.

3. Process according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the feedstock comprises at least one starting material of biological origin, selected from the group consisting of triglycerides, fatty acids, esters of fatty acids and alcohols, fatty acid anhydrides, and fatty alcohols.

4. Process according to claim 3, characterized in that the starting material is selected from the group consisting of:

a) plant fats, plant oils, plant waxes;

animal fats, animal oils, animal waxes;

fish fats, fish oils, fish waxes, and mixtures thereof, and

b) free fatty acids or fatty acids obtained by hydrolysis, acid transesterification or pyrolysis reactions from plant fats, plant oils, plant waxes, animal fats, animal oils, animal waxes, fish fats, fish oils, fish waxes, and mixtures thereof, and

c) esters obtained by transesterification from plant fats, plant oils, plant waxes, animal fats, animal oils, animal waxes, fish fats, fish oils, fish waxes, and mixtures thereof, and

d) esters obtained by esterification of free fatty acids of plant, animal and fish origin with alcohols, and mixtures thereof, and

e) fatty alcohols obtained as reduction products of fatty acids from plant fats, plant oils, plant waxes, animal fats, animal oils, animal waxes, fish fats, fish oils, fish waxes, and mixtures thereof, and

f) waste and recycled food grade fats and oils, and fats, oils and waxes obtained by genetic engineering, and mixtures thereof, and

g) mixtures of said starting materials.

5. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the feedstock contains at least 80% by weight of unsaturated and/or polyunsaturated compounds.

6. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the oligomerization is carried out under a pressure from 0 to 10 MPa, and at a temperature from 100 to 500°

C.

7. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the oligomerization is carried out in the presence of a cationic clay catalyst, preferably a zeolite catalyst.

8. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that up to 10%, preferably from 0.1 to 4% by weight of water is added to the feedstock containing carboxylic acids in the oligomerization step.

9. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the deoxygenation is carried out as hydrodeoxygenation or as decarbonylation/decarboxylation, the deoxygenation being carried out prior to, or following oligomerization.

10. Process according to claim 9, characterized in that the hydrodeoxygenation is carried out in the presence of hydrogen, at a temperature between 100 and 500°

C., under a pressure between 0 and 20 MPa, the flow rate WHSV being between 0.1 and 10 l/h, in the presence of a hydrodeoxygenation catalyst.

11. Process according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the hydrodeoxygenation catalyst is a Pd, Pt, Ni, NiMo or CoMo catalyst having an alumina and/or silica support.

12. Process according to claim 9, characterized in that prior to hydrodeoxygenation, the product from the oligomerization step is subjected to prehydrogenation in the presence of a catalyst, at a temperature between 50 and 400°

C., under a hydrogen pressure between 0.1 and 20 MPa, the flow rate WHSV being between 0.1 and 10 l/h.

13. Process according to claim 12, characterized in that the catalyst is a Pd, Pt, Ni, NiMo or CoMo catalyst having an alumina and/or silica support.

14. Process according to claim 9, characterized in that the feedstock of the process, or the product of the oligomerization step is subjected to decarboxylation/decarbonylation in the presence of a decarboxylation/decarbonylation catalyst, at a temperature between 200 and 400°

C., pressure between 0 and 20 MPa, the flow rate WHSH being between 0.1 and 10 l/h.

15. Process according to claim 12, characterized in that the decarboxylation/decarbonylation catalyst is a Pd, Pt, Ni, NiMo or CoMo catalyst having an alumina and/or silica support or an activated carbon support.

16. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that following the oligomerization and deoxygenation steps, the product is subjected to isomerization in the presence of hydrogen gas under a pressure between 0.1 and 20 MPa, at a temperature between 100 and 500°

C., in the presence of a isomerization catalyst.

17. Process according to claim 16, characterized in that the isomerization catalyst is a supported catalyst containing a molecular sieve and a metal of the Group VIII of the periodic table of the elements.

18. Use of the process according to claim 1 for producing gasoline, solvent, and/or diesel fractions.

19. Base oil, characterized in that said base oil contains at least 90% by weight of saturated hydrocarbons, 20-90% of mononaphthenes, no more than 20% by weight of linear paraffins, and at least 50% by weight of the saturated hydrocarbons are within the carbon number range of no more than 9 carbons,

20. Base oil according to claim 19, characterized in that the base oil contains at least 95% by weight of saturated hydrocarbons, 20-80% of mononaphthenes, no more than 10% by weight of linear paraffins, and at least 75% by weight of the saturated hydrocarbons are within the carbon number range of no more than 9 carbons.

21. Base oil according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that said base oil contains at least 97% by weight of saturated hydrocarbons, 20-60% of mononaphthenes, no more than 5% by weight of linear paraffins, and at least 90% by weight of the saturated hydrocarbons are within the carbon number range of no more than 9 carbons.

22. Base oil according to claim 19, characterized in that the volatility of the base oil having a kinematic viscosity from 3 cSt to 8 cSt, is not more than 2271.2*(KV100)⁻

3.5373%.

23. Base oil according to claim 19, characterized in that the carbon number range is up to 7 carbons, preferably up to 3 carbons.

24. Base oil according to claim 19, characterized in that the ¹⁴C isotope content of the base oil is at least 100%.

25. Base oil according to claim 19, characterized in that said base oil is produced with the process.