Methods for processing lipid materials

Abstract

A method for treating lipid material containing phosphorus and / or metal compounds is described, comprising the steps of providing a lipid material, preheating the lipid material to obtain a preheated lipid material, heat-treating the pre-treated lipid material in a heat-treating step to obtain a heat-treated lipid material, and optionally post-treating the heat-treated lipid material in a post-treating step.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for treating lipid materials containing phosphorus and / or metal compounds as impurities. [Background technology]

[0002] It is well known that oils and fats can contain phospholipids and other impurities that must be removed from the feed prior to catalytic processing because they are detrimental to the quality of the final product, causing plugging and deactivation of the catalysts used and fouling of equipment such as heat exchangers. Generally, the refining processes used prior to catalytic production of fuels or chemicals are adopted from edible oil refining, such as chemical or physical refining. However, these techniques are not fully suitable for the most difficult oils, such as animal fats, contaminated rapeseed oil, used cooking oil, or seaweed oil.

[0003] It is also well known that phospholipids are susceptible to thermal degradation. The amino groups that are particularly susceptible to degradation are those in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). On the other hand, phosphatidylcholine (PC) has been reported to be the most resistant to heat treatment. It has been shown that phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidic acid (PA), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) are almost completely decomposed at 174°C for 1 hour.

[0004] Thermal decomposition of these impurities at deoxidation temperatures is suggested in US Pat. No. 5,623,999, where temperatures up to 540° C. are used.

[0005] Patent document 2 relates to the purification of used lubricating oil containing metal compounds, for example from automobile engines, gearboxes and differentials, by heating to 200-250°C, cooling and subsequent filtration through a semi-permeable membrane with a cutoff zone in the range of 5000-300000, which is permeable to oil but substantially impermeable to impurities. Heating can be carried out in the presence of water, steam and / or hydrated lime.

[0006] Patent document 3 relates to a method for the purification of lipid materials, in which the content of phosphorus and / or metal compounds in the lipid materials is reduced by heat treatment at a temperature of about 240°C to about 280°C in the absence of water or other solvents.

[0007] There is a need for alternative methods of processing lipid materials, methods that provide effective removal of phosphorus and / or metal compounds without being detrimental to the quality of the final product. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0266743 [Patent Document 2] UK Patent Application Publication No. 1470022 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2018 / 060302 Summary of the Invention

[0009] It is an object of certain aspects of the present invention to provide improvements to the above-mentioned and known techniques, and in particular to provide methods for treating lipid materials containing phosphorus and / or metal compounds.

[0010] Therefore, one object of the present invention is a method for treating lipid materials containing phosphorus and / or metal compounds, comprising the steps of: a) providing a lipid material; b) preheating the lipid material to obtain a preheated lipid material; c) heat-treating the pre-treated lipid material in a heat-treating step to obtain a heat-treated lipid material; d) optionally, post-treating the heat-treated lipid material in a post-treatment step; The object of the present invention is to enable a method including:

[0011] In one embodiment, the preheating step b) is carried out at a temperature of about 90°C to about 160°C.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the heat treatment step c) is carried out at a temperature of about 220°C to about 300°C, preferably about 220°C to about 280°C, more preferably about 260°C to 280°C.

[0013] In another preferred embodiment, the heat treatment step c) is carried out at a pressure of from about 0 bar(g) to about 20 bar(g), preferably from about 1 bar(g) to about 10 bar(g), more preferably from about 1 bar(g) to about 3 bar(g). Gauge pressure It is held at.

[0014] In a further embodiment, the heat treatment step c) is carried out for a time period of about 5 to about 300 minutes, preferably about 10 to about 180 minutes, even more preferably about 15 to about 90 minutes, even more preferably about 30 to about 60 minutes.

[0015] In one embodiment, the moisture content of the lipid material during heat treatment is about 200 to about 2500 mg / kg, preferably about 200 to about 1500 mg / kg, more preferably about 200 to 1000 mg / kg.

[0016] In a further aspect of the invention, the lipid material is a renewable lipid material.

[0017] In preferred embodiments, the lipid material is a plant-based, microbial-based, or animal-based lipid material, or any combination thereof.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the preheating step b) further comprises an air removal step.

[0019] Preferably, the phosphorus compound is a phospholipid selected from the group comprising phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid.

[0020] In one embodiment, post-treatment step d) comprises the addition of water to the lipid material.

[0021] In a further embodiment, the heat treatment step c) is carried out in at least one reactor.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the at least one reactor is selected from a tube reactor and / or a stirred tank reactor.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion, for example 1 to 99 wt%, 5 to 95 wt%, 10 to 90 wt%, 20 to 80 wt%, 30 to 70 wt%, 40 to 60 wt%, of the lipid material subjected to heat treatment step c) is withdrawn, heated to a temperature of about 300°C to about 350°C, and reintroduced into step c) where the lipid material is subjected to heat treatment step c).

[0024] In another embodiment, post-treatment step d) comprises cooling, settling, filtration, centrifugation, and / or bleaching.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the post-treatment step d) is bleaching.

[0026] In a further embodiment, the lipid material provided in step a) comprises about 30 to about 200 mg / kg phosphorus, preferably about 30 to about 1000 mg / kg phosphorus, more preferably about 50 to 600 mg / kg phosphorus.

[0027] In one embodiment, the method comprises hydrotreating the heat-treated lipid material in the presence of a hydrotreating catalyst to obtain a hydrotreated lipid material.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the hydrotreating is carried out by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), hydrodeoxygenation, sulfur (HDS), hydrodemetallization (HDM), hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), hydrodearomatization (HDA).

[0029] In one embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises a second heat treatment after the heat treatment step c).

[0030] A further object of the present invention is a process for producing hydrocarbons, comprising the steps of: x) treating lipid material containing phosphorus and / or metal compounds using the methods identified above; y) subjecting the lipid material from step x) to an oil refinery conversion process. and

[0031] In one embodiment, the oil refining conversion process includes altering the molecular weight of the lipid material, removing heteroatoms from the lipid material, altering the degree of saturation of the lipid material, rearranging the molecular structure of the lipid material, or any combination thereof, to obtain at least one hydrocarbon.

[0032] In a further embodiment, step y) comprises hydrogenolysis.

[0033] In another embodiment, step y) comprises steam cracking.

[0034] According to a further embodiment, step y) comprises isomerization.

[0035] In one embodiment, step y) comprises thermocatalytic decomposition.

[0036] In another embodiment, step y) comprises fluidized bed catalytic cracking.

[0037] These and other aspects, features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be or become apparent from the following description of the embodiments and aspects of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] Figure 1 briefly describes the process described in the present invention, in which: 1) lipid material, which may have been subjected to processes such as sedimentation, filtration, or centrifugation prior to preheating and heat treatment, is preheated to a temperature of about 90 to about 150°C. This preheating step may also include an air removal step to minimize oxidation reactions. 2) The preheated crude lipid material is introduced into a heat treatment reactor for the heat treatment step, where the reactor is designed to achieve the desired reaction residence time. 3) A portion of the heat-treated lipid material is withdrawn and heated to a temperature higher than the heat treatment temperature and used to heat the incoming preheated lipid material to the desired heat treatment reaction temperature. 4) The heat-treated lipid material is then removed from the reactor and cooled before further processing, such as bleaching. This process allows fouling to occur outside the heat exchanger, reducing the need for cleaning and thereby reducing costs and waste. Fouling occurs inside the reactor, on surfaces not used to transfer heat, and therefore their cleaning must be done very infrequently. [Figure 2]Figure 2 shows an alternative process in which the fouling problem is solved by the process of the present invention. In the process shown in Figure 2, fouling occurs inside the heat exchanger. Such fouling is treated in two ways: by doubling the volume of the heat exchanger, or by cleaning the fouled heat exchanger with steam or, for example, sodium hydroxide solution. In the process shown in Figure 2, in step 1), the lipid material, which may have been subjected to a process prior to heat treatment, is heated to the final heat treatment reaction temperature before being introduced into the heat treatment reactor. Prior to heating, there is an air removal step to minimize oxidation reactions. 2) The heat treatment reactor is designed to achieve the desired reaction residence time. 3) The heat-treated lipid material is then removed from the reactor and cooled before further processing, such as bleaching. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the fouling of a heating rod in a laboratory-scale device, where a heated rod is used to heat a test material. The temperature of the test material passing through the pipe is raised to the level of the heated rod, and the temperature difference between the rod and the test material outside the rod increases. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] Specific aspects of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] The various aspects, alternatives, and embodiments of the invention described herein may be combined with one or more of the other various aspects, alternatives, and embodiments of the invention described herein. Two or more aspects may be combined.

[0041] In describing aspects of the present invention, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity, however, it is to be understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and that each specific term is intended to include all technical permeabilities that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

[0042] When embodiments of the invention are described, not all possible combinations and permutations of the embodiments are explicitly described. Rather, the mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims or described in different embodiments does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. The present invention includes all possible combinations and permutations of the described embodiments.

[0043] The terms "comprising," "comprise," and "comprises" are intended by the inventors herein to be optionally interchangeable in each instance with the terms "consisting of," "consist of," and "consists of," respectively.

[0044] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As described above, the present invention relates to a method for treating lipid materials containing phosphorus and / or metal compounds. The content of phosphorus and / or metal compounds in lipid materials used in processes such as steam cracking and the production of renewable fuels, such as renewable diesel fuel, is a major problem. Phosphorus and / or metal compounds are harmful to the quality of the final product. Phosphorus compounds can deactivate catalysts used to convert renewable feedstocks into transportation fuels and chemicals. Furthermore, phosphorus and / or metal compounds cause fouling of equipment, such as heat exchangers. Therefore, the equipment requires cleaning, which results in maintenance costs and costs related to interrupted production. Furthermore, the amount of waste steam increases due to the need for cleaning.

[0045] The lipid material to be treated may contain impurities including metals and phosphorus in the form of phospholipids, soaps, or salts. Metal impurities that may be present in the lipid material may be, for example, alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, such as sodium or potassium salts, or magnesium or calcium salts, or any compounds of these metals.

[0046] The phosphorus compound present in the lipid material of the present invention may be a phospholipid. The phosphorus compound present in the lipid material may be one or more of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid, and phosphatidylethanolamine.

[0047] Fouling during heat treatment of lipid materials is caused by the thermal decomposition of phosphorus and / or metal compounds, particularly solid metal phosphates, and phospholipids in the form of metal phosphates during heat treatment.

[0048] It has previously been found that heating lipid materials in combination with bleaching leads to a more effective reduction of phosphorus and metal content than bleaching alone. Such heating processes (also referred to as heat treatments) require that the impure lipid material be heated to a temperature of about 220-300°C, preferably about 220-280°C, and more preferably about 260-280°C, for a time long enough to reduce the impurity content. In the oleochemical and edible oil industries, impure feeds are typically not heated to temperatures above about 100°C, as this would result in deterioration of the feed quality and surface fouling.

[0049] The term "lipid material" refers to fats and / or oils of vegetable, microbial, and / or animal origin. It also refers to any waste streams recovered from the processing of such oils and / or fats. Generally, fats are solid at room temperature, and oils are liquid at room temperature.

[0050] Examples of lipid materials of the present invention include, but are not limited to, tall oil or residual bottoms from a tall oil distillation process, animal-based oils and fats, vegetable or plant-based oils such as sludge palm oil or used cooking oil, microbial oils, seaweed oils, any lipid containing free fatty acids, phosphorus and / or metals, oils originating from yeast or mold production, oils originating from biomass, rapeseed oil, canola oil, colza oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, hemp oil, olive oil, linseed oil, cottonseed oil, mustard oil, palm oil, arachis oil, castor oil, coconut oil, suet, tallow, blubber, recycled alimentary fats, genetically engineered starting materials, and biological starting materials produced by microorganisms such as seaweed and bacteria, and mixtures of any of the above lipid materials.

[0051] In particular, the lipid material is an animal-based fat and / or used cooking oil. It should be understood that the used cooking oil may comprise one or more of the oils mentioned above, such as rapeseed oil, canola oil, colza oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, hemp oil, olive oil, linseed oil, cottonseed oil, mustard oil, palm oil, arachis oil, castor oil, coconut oil, and animal fats.

[0052] The lipid material treated by the method of the present invention typically contains impurities containing phosphorus and / or metals in the form of phospholipids, soaps, or salts. The impurities may be in the form of, for example, phosphates or sulfates, iron salts or organic salts, soaps, or phospholipids. Metal impurities that may be present in the lipid material may be, for example, alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, such as sodium or potassium salts, or magnesium or calcium salts, or any compounds of these metals.

[0053] The lipid material treated in the methods of the present invention may be pre-processed prior to pre-heating and heat treatment through various steps such as, but not limited to, sedimentation, degumming, bleaching, deodorization, and / or distillation.

[0054] The lipid material provided prior to preheating and heat treatment preferably contains phosphorus in an amount of about 30-2000 mg / kg, more preferably about 30-1000 mg / kg, and even more preferably about 50-600 mg / kg of lipid material.

[0055] The lipid material treated by the method of the present invention may be further processed, for example, by catalytic processes, such as catalytic cracking, thermal catalytic cracking, catalytic hydrogenation, fluidized-bed catalytic cracking, catalytic ketonization, catalytic esterification, or catalytic dehydration. Such processes require that the lipid material be sufficiently pure and free from impurities that would otherwise impair the catalytic process or poison the catalysts present in the process.

[0056] An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, which illustrates a brief description of the method according to the present invention.

[0057] In step 1), the lipid material, which may be subjected to a process, is preheated to a temperature of about 90 to about 150°C prior to the preheating and heating treatment.

[0058] In particular, the temperature to which the lipid material is preheated can be, for example, about 100°C to 150°C, such as about 110°C to 140°C, for example about 120°C to 130°C, or about 90°C, about 100°C, about 110°C, about 120°C, about 130°C, about 140°C, about 150°C, about 160°C, etc.

[0059] The preheating step may also include an air removal step in which dissolved oxygen in the lipid material may be removed to minimize oxidation reactions that occur during heat treatment (step 2). This may be done by applying a vacuum. Before, during, or after the preheating step, the moisture content of the lipid material may be controlled by the addition of moisture in the form of water and / or steam to the lipid material prior to heat treatment.

[0060] In step 2), the preheated lipid material is then introduced into a heat treatment reactor for heat treatment, where the reactor is designed to achieve the desired reaction residence time and to have a surface where fouling occurs. The heat treatment is carried out at a pressure of about 0 bar(g) to about 20 bar(g). Gauge pressure and preferably about 1 bar (g) to about 10 bar (g). Gauge pressure and most preferably about 1 bar (g) to about 3 bar (g). Gauge pressure The temperature for the heat treatment is preferably about 220°C to 300°C, more preferably about 220°C to about 280°C, and most preferably about 260°C to about 280°C.

[0061] In particular, the temperature of the heat treatment can be, for example, about 230°C to about 290°C, e.g., about 240°C to 280°C, about 250°C to about 270°C, or about 220°C, about 230°C, about 240°C, about 250°C, about 260°C, about 270°C, about 280°C, about 290°C, about 300°C, etc.

[0062] The reaction time for the heat treatment step is preferably about 5 minutes to about 300 minutes, preferably about 10 minutes to about 180 minutes, more preferably about 15 minutes to about 90 minutes, and even more preferably about 30 minutes to about 60 minutes.

[0063] In particular, the reaction time is about 15 to about 290 minutes, for example, about 25 to about 280 minutes, for example, about 35 to about 270 minutes, for example, about 45 to about 260 minutes, for example, about 55 to about 250 minutes, for example, about 65 to about 240 minutes, for example, about 75 to about 230 minutes, for example, about 85 to about 220 minutes, for example, about 95 to about 210 minutes, for example, about 105 to about 200 minutes, for example, about 115 to about 190 minutes, for example, about 125 to about 180 minutes, for example, about 135 to about 170 minutes, for example, about 145 to about 160 minutes, or about 5 minutes, about 10 minutes, about 15 minutes, about 20 minutes, about 25 minutes, about 30 minutes, about 35 minutes, about 40 minutes, about 45 minutes, about 50 minutes, about 55 minutes, about 60 minutes, about 65 minutes, minutes, approx. 70 minutes, approx. 75 minutes, approx. 80 minutes, approx. 90 minutes, approx. 95 minutes, approx. 100 minutes, approx. 105 minutes, approx. 110 minutes, approx. 115 minutes, approx. 125 minutes, approx. 130 minutes, approx. 135 minutes, approx. 140 minutes, approx. 145 minutes, approx. 150 minutes, approx. 155 minutes, approx. 160 minutes, approx. 165 minutes, approx. 170 minutes, approx. 175 minutes, approx. 180 minutes, approx. 185 minutes, approx. 190 minutes, approx. The reaction time may be 95 minutes, about 200 minutes, about 205 minutes, about 210 minutes, about 215 minutes, about 220 minutes, about 225 minutes, about 230 minutes, about 235 minutes, about 240 minutes, about 245 minutes, about 250 minutes, about 255 minutes, about 260 minutes, about 265 minutes, about 270 minutes, about 275 minutes, about 280 minutes, about 285 minutes, about 290 minutes, about 295 minutes, or about 300 minutes.

[0064] It should be understood that wherever it is initiated in the present invention, e.g., heating occurs for a certain amount of time, this means that a certain period of time begins once a certain temperature is achieved.

[0065] The moisture content of the lipid material during heat treatment is preferably maintained at a level of about 200 to about 2500 mg / kg, preferably about 200 to about 1500 mg / kg, more preferably about 200 to 1000 mg / kg.

[0066] In particular, the moisture content of the lipid material during heat treatment can be about 200 mg / kg, about 300 mg / kg, about 400 mg / kg, about 500 mg / kg, about 600 mg / kg, about 700 mg / kg, about 800 mg / kg, about 900 mg / kg, about 1000 mg / kg, about 1100 mg / kg, about 1200 mg / kg, about 1300 mg / kg, about 1400 mg / kg, about 1500 mg / kg, about 1600 mg / kg, about 1700 mg / kg, about 1800 mg / kg, about 1900 mg / kg, about 2000 mg / kg, about 2100 mg / kg, about 2200 mg / kg, about 2300 mg / kg, about 2400 mg / kg, or about 2500 mg / kg.

[0067] Additionally, chemicals can be added to enhance phosphorus removal during heat treatment, such as, but not limited to, acids such as sulfuric acid and / or phosphoric acid, and / or bases such as sodium hydroxide.

[0068] Step 3) shows how a portion of the lipid material subjected to the heat treatment is withdrawn and heated to a temperature higher than the temperature of the heat treatment, and then used to heat the lipid material coming in from the pre-treatment step by mixing it with the lipid material after the pre-heating step and the lipid material withdrawn from the heat treatment which has been further heated.

[0069] The lipid material removed from the heat treatment is preferably heated to a temperature of about 300°C to about 350°C, for example, about 300°C, about 310°C, about 320°C, about 330°C, about 340°C, or about 350°C.

[0070] The heat treatment can be carried out in various types of reactors, including but not limited to, tubular reactors and / or stirred tank reactors.

[0071] Step 4) illustrates that the lipid material that has been subjected to heat treatment is withdrawn from the reactor and cooled prior to further processing, such as bleaching, the purpose of which is to further remove soluble phosphorus and / or metal compounds and / or solids or a portion of the solids formed during the heat treatment step.

[0072] Impurities may optionally be completely or partially removed by techniques such as, but not limited to, sedimentation, centrifugation, and / or filtration.

[0073] Figure 2 shows any process, the fouling problem of which is solved by the method according to the invention. As mentioned above, in a process such as that shown in Figure 2, fouling results inside the heat exchangers, and such fouling is treated in two ways: by doubling the volume of the heat exchangers, or by cleaning the fouled heat exchangers with steam or, for example, sodium hydroxide solution.

[0074] In step 1, prior to heat treatment, the lipid material, which may be subject to the process, is heated to the heat treatment temperature before being introduced into a heat treatment reactor. That is, the lipid material is heated to a temperature of about 200°C to about 300°C before being introduced into the heat treatment. An air removal step may be included to minimize oxidation reactions. The heat treatment reactor is designed to achieve the desired reaction residence time.

[0075] Step 3) shows that the lipid material that has been subjected to heat treatment is removed from the reactor and cooled before further processing, such as bleaching.

[0076] Therefore, according to the present invention, a stream subjected to a preheating step according to the method shown in Figure 1 reduces heat exchanger fouling and therefore the need for cleaning procedures, which results in reduced cleaning and / or maintenance costs and reduced costs for interrupted production. The amount of waste stream is also reduced. In comparison, it has been observed that lipid material subjected to the preheating step of the present invention does not foul the surfaces of the heat exchanger as quickly as lipid material subjected to the process according to the method described in Figure 2.

[0077] The heat treatment reaction, i.e., the solidification of soluble impurities, requires a residence time to obtain a high conversion rate; however, it has also been observed that when crude oil containing impurities is first heated to a high temperature (e.g., above 160°C), fouling occurs rapidly even if the residence time in the heat exchanger is short. Instead of heating the material once preheated, the temperatures according to the present invention do not lead to rapid fouling, even if the conversion of soluble impurities to insoluble impurities is not complete, and this illustrates the benefit of the method of the present invention as illustrated in Figure 1. Therefore, the method of the present invention can be used to control the fouling of heat exchangers during the heat treatment of lipid materials.

[0078] The method for treating a lipid material according to the present invention may further comprise a step of hydrotreating the heat-treated lipid material in the presence of a hydrotreating catalyst to obtain a hydrotreated lipid material.

[0079] The hydrotreating may be selected from HDO, HDS, HDM, HDN and / or HDA.

[0080] The term "hydrodeoxygenation (HDO)" means the removal of oxygen as water by molecular hydrogen under the influence of a (HDO) catalyst.

[0081] The term "hydrodesorption" sulfur (HDS)" means removal of sulfur as hydrogen sulfide by molecular hydrogen under the influence of a (HDS) catalyst.

[0082] The term "hydrodemetallization (HDM)" means removing metals by trapping them with a (HDS) catalyst.

[0083] The term "hydrodenitrogenation (HDN)" means the removal of nitrogen by molecular hydrogen under the influence of a (HDN) catalyst.

[0084] The term "hydrodearomatization (HDA)" means the saturation or opening of aromatic rings with molecular hydrogen under the influence of a (HDA) catalyst.

[0085] An aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing hydrocarbons, the method comprising reducing the amount of phosphorus and / or metal compounds in a lipid material obtained by using the method of the present invention, and subjecting the purified lipid material to an oil refinery conversion process.

[0086] In one embodiment, the oil refinery conversion process includes altering the molecular weight of the lipid material, removing heteroatoms from the lipid material, rearranging the molecular structure of the lipid material, or a combination thereof, to obtain at least one hydrocarbon.

[0087] Oil refinery conversion processes may include hydrocracking, steam cracking, isomerization, thermal catalytic cracking and / or fluidized bed catalytic cracking. [Example]

[0088] The following examples are provided to better illustrate the claimed invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. To the extent that specific materials are described, it is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art may develop equivalent means or reactants without the exercise of inventive capacity and without departing from the scope of the invention. It will be understood that many variations can be made in the procedures described herein while remaining within the boundaries of the invention. It is the intention of the inventors that such variations be included within the scope of the invention.

[0089] Example 1 Fouling experiments were conducted in a laboratory-scale fouling tester, a Falex Thermal Fouling Tester. In the fouling tester, test material was pumped (1 mL / min) from a feed reservoir into a pipe with an electrically heated rod inside (500 grams of test material, 90°C, 15 bar nitrogen pressure). Once the test material had passed through the pipe, it was returned to the feed reservoir. The test time was 18 hours (the entire contents of the feed reservoir passed through the instrument in 8 hours and 20 minutes).

[0090] As the test material passed through the pipe, its temperature was raised to the temperature level of the heated rod. As the test material began to foul the surface of the heated rod, the temperature difference between the rod, whose temperature was held constant, and the test material emerging from the pipe increased. The greater the temperature difference between the rod and the test material, the greater the tendency for fouling.

[0091] In the experiment, the initial lipid material was animal fat from Europe. The lipid material was not subjected to any pretreatment. The lipid material was used as is for the fouling test and subsequent laboratory-scale heat treatment. Heat treatment was carried out in a 1 L Parr reactor by heating the lipid material to 280°C and holding the lipid material at that temperature for a period of 60 minutes. The pressure was not controlled during the batch heat treatment and was allowed to rise. After heat treatment, two samples were prepared: the heat-treated material itself (including solids formed during heat treatment) and the heat-treated material after filtration (2 μm). The test matrix is ​​shown in Table 1.

[0092] [Table 1]

[0093] The results of experiments on crude lipid material and lipid material after a method including a pre-heating step of the lipid material of the present invention produced on a laboratory scale are shown in Figure 3 and show that the lipid material produced on a laboratory scale and subjected to a pre-heating step of the present invention produced less fouling at 330°C than the crude lipid material, which is lipid material that was not subjected to a pre-heating step of the present invention.

Claims

1. 1. A method for treating lipid material containing phosphorus and metal compounds, comprising: a) providing a lipid material; b) preheating said lipid material to obtain a preheated lipid material; c) heat-treating the preheated lipid material in a heat-treating step to obtain a heat-treated lipid material; d) optionally, post-treating the heat-treated lipid material in a post-treatment step. and said preheating step b) is carried out at a temperature of between 90°C and 160°C; the heat treatment step c) is carried out at a temperature of 220°C to 300°C, and the heat treatment step c) is carried out at a gauge pressure of 0 bar(g) to 20 bar(g); The lipid material provided in step a) contains 30 to 2000 mg / kg of phosphorus. method.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said heat treatment step c) is carried out at a temperature of from 220°C to 280°C.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said heat treatment step c) is carried out at a temperature of from 260°C to 280°C.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the heat treatment step c) is carried out at a gauge pressure of from 1 bar(g) to 10 bar(g).

5. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said heat treatment step c) is carried out at a gauge pressure of from 1 bar(g) to 3 bar(g).

6. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heat treatment step c) is carried out for a time period of from 5 to 300 minutes.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said heat treating step c) is carried out for a time period of from 10 to 180 minutes.

8. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said heat treating step c) is carried out for a time period of 15 to 90 minutes.

9. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said heat treatment step c) is carried out for a period of time ranging from 30 to 60 minutes.

10. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the moisture content of the lipid material during the heat treatment is between 200 and 2500 mg / kg.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the moisture content of the lipid material during the heat treatment is between 200 and 1500 mg / kg.

12. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the moisture content of the lipid material during the heat treatment is between 200 and 1000 mg / kg.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the lipid material is a renewable lipid material.

14. 14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the lipid material is a plant-based, microbial-based, or animal-based lipid material, or any combination thereof.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the preheating step b) further comprises an air removal step.

16. 16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the phosphorus compound is a phospholipid selected from the group comprising phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid.

17. 17. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the post-treatment step d) comprises adding water to the lipid material.

18. 18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein said heat treatment step c) is carried out in at least one reactor.

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one reactor is selected from a tubular reactor and / or a stirred tank reactor.

20. 20. The method of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein a portion of the lipid material subjected to the heat treatment step c) is withdrawn, heated to a temperature of between 300°C and 350°C, and reintroduced into step c), where the lipid material is subjected to the heat treatment step c).

21. 21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the post-treatment step d) comprises cooling, settling, filtration, centrifugation and / or bleaching.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein said after-treatment step d) is bleaching.

23. 23. The method of any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the lipid material provided in step a) comprises 30 to 1000 mg / kg of phosphorus.

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the lipid material provided in step a) comprises 50 to 600 mg / kg of phosphorus.

25. 25. The method of any one of claims 1 to 24, further comprising hydrotreating the heat-treated lipid material in the presence of a hydrotreating catalyst to obtain a hydrotreated lipid material.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the hydrotreating can be selected from hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), hydrodesulfurization (HDS), hydrodemetallization (HDM), hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), and / or hydrodearomatization (HDA).

27. The method of any one of claims 1 to 26, further comprising a second heat treatment after said heat treatment step c).

28. 28. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 27, further comprising a step a1) for treating the lipid material by sedimentation, filtration or centrifugation before the preheating step b).

29. 1. A method for producing hydrocarbons, comprising: x) treating lipid material containing phosphorus and metal compounds with the method of any one of claims 1 to 28, wherein the lipid material contains 30 to 2000 mg / kg of phosphorus; y) subjecting the lipid material from step x) to an oil refinery conversion process. and a method comprising:

30. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the oil refinery conversion process comprises altering the molecular weight of the lipid material, removing heteroatoms from the lipid material, altering the degree of saturation of the lipid material, rearranging the molecular structure of the lipid material, or any combination thereof, to obtain at least one hydrocarbon.

31. 31. The process of claim 29 or 30, wherein step y) comprises hydrocracking.

32. 31. The method of claim 29 or 30, wherein step y) comprises steam cracking.

33. 31. The method of claim 29 or 30, wherein step y) comprises isomerization.

34. 31. The method of claim 29 or 30, wherein step y) comprises thermo-catalytic decomposition.

35. 31. The process of claim 29 or 30, wherein step y) comprises fluidized bed catalytic cracking.

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