Light olefin production from the catalytic cracking of fusel oil in a fixed bed reactor

Abstract

Abstract Fusel oil, a by-product of bioethanol production, can be considered as a low-value and renewable material for transforming into value-added products. In this work, the catalytic cracking of fusel oil was studied in a fixed bed reactor to produce light olefins. The operating parameters, such as the temperature, feed flow rate of fusel oil, feedstock, and the co-feeding water, were investigated over a HZSM-5 catalyst in terms of the yields and distribution of the gaseous products. The highest total carbon in the gaseous products with excellent ethylene and propylene selectivity (44.7%, 34.4%, and 28.6%, respectively) were obtained at 550\xa0°C, a feed flow rate of 0.04\xa0mL/min, and 0.02\xa0g of catalyst. After a long time on stream (TOS), the stability of HZSM-5 was slightly decreased due mainly to coke deposition. Thus, the catalytic cracking of fusel oil shows the ability to be converted into light olefins. However, catalyst improvement to enhance the catalytic activity and stability is still required, at the same time, the technical process with economic feasibility still needs more development in order to be realistically useable on an industrial scale in the future.