Motor Fuel Purpose Hydrogenation of Used Cooking Oils

The liquid motorfuels are the main power source both of the commercial and public transportation. Renewable fuels can play significant role to achieve the EU’s plan, to reach the 10 % energy ratio of total fuel consumption until 2020. To achieve all this goals the European Union created the 2003/30/EC and further the 2009/28/EC directives. Unconventional feedstocks were investigated, for example non edible hybrids of oilseed plants such as rapeseed oils with high euric acid content or sunflower oils with high oleic acid content, used cooking oil. Beside the sustainability and the technical compatibility of these compounds with the current engine and vehicle constructions should be ensure, thus this bio components can be blend in the motor fuels unlimited quantity. The maximum amount of bio-component can be applied in motor fuels is 10 % bio-ethanol in gasoline and 7 % fatty acid-methyl-ester in diesel fuel. In this context heterogen catalytic hydrogenation of used cooking oil was studied on aluminium-oxide supported transition metal catalyst. The applied operation parameters were the following: temperature; 320 - 380 °C, pressure: 20 - 80 bar, LHSV: 1.0 h-1, H2/hydrocarbon ratio: 600 Nm3/m3. The yield of products in gas oil boiling range at the favourable operation parameters was close to the theoretical value (80–90%). Quality parameters ofthese products were the following; the cetane number was higher than 75, the aromatic content was lower than 0.1 % and the sulphur content was lower than 5 mg/kg. The actual EN 590:2009 +A1 2010 standard does not limit the blending ratio of these bio-components, the blending of biodiesel is limited (max 7 v/v%). Consequently these products can be blended in gasoil up to 10 %, and this way we can meet the requirements of the EU which prescribe at least 10-80 % bio component blending in motor fuels by 2020.