The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Petrobras and Ensyn collaborated several years ago on biocrude Co-processing trials carried out at Petrobras’ SIX unit located in the Sao Mateus do Sul refinery in Brazil. The preliminary report on these trials, published earlier and previously referenced on Ensyn’s website (Refinery Feedstocks page), suggested that at a 5% displacement rate in the FCC the yields of transportation fuels were comparable to 100% VGO on a volumetric basis.
NREL and Petrobras have now released a more comprehensive report, based on 54 trials and utilizing state-of-the art modelling techniques. The reported trials included 5%, 10% and 20% biocrude substitution levels as well as 100% petroleum VGO trials (i.e., no biocrude substitution). The report reflects the most extensive collation and evaluation of FCC biocrude co-processing data to date. Based on the modeling of the data from the 54 trials, NREL concludes that, over a broad range of FCC operating conditions, the substitution of biocrude at 5% and 10% resulted in higher gasoline yields, higher or unchanged diesel yields, and slightly lower coke yields.
Click here to see the report.
Click here to see the report.