Crude Lignin Oil FCC Co-Feeding Reduces Coking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The chemical industry faces challenges in converting lignin from biomass into high-value chemicals and fuels due to its solid nature and different H/C/O ratios, leading to issues like coking, low miscibility with hydrocarbons, and poor chemical stability when processed in Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) units.
Innovation Solution
The use of crude lignin oil (CLO) as a feedstock in an FCC process, co-fed with methanol, which increases the H/C ratio, reduces coking rates, and enhances the plant heat balance by converting lignin into mono-aromatics and light olefins, utilizing a specific zeolite catalyst mix and reaction conditions to optimize product composition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If solid lignin is processed directly in FCC units, then lignin conversion to hydrocarbons is achieved, but coking increases and chemical stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of lignin from solid to liquid by converting it to crude lignin oil (CLO). This parameter change resolves the contradiction by enabling liquid lignin to be processed in FCC units with lower coking rates while maintaining high conversion efficiency to hydrocarbons
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces crude lignin oil (CLO) as an intermediary substance between solid lignin and the FCC process. CLO serves as a mediator that preserves lignin's convertible properties while eliminating the solid state issues that cause high coking and poor miscibility in conventional FCC units
2Productivity
If solid lignin is fed to FCC units, then hydrocarbon production is possible, but miscibility with hydrocarbons decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter from solid to liquid by producing crude lignin oil. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by enabling liquid CLO to mix readily with hydrocarbon feedstocks in FCC units, improving ease of operation while maintaining high hydrocarbon production capability
3Productivity
If solid lignin is processed in FCC units, then conversion to fuels is achieved, but chemical stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state from solid to liquid through CLO production. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by providing a chemically more stable liquid feedstock that converts efficiently to fuels while maintaining better compositional stability during processing compared to solid lignin
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach decreases the oxygen content of the feed, reduces coking, and improves the calorific value of the bio-content, making it easier to process and increasing the production of valuable hydrocarbons, thereby overcoming the technical challenges of lignin processing in FCC units.
Implementation Method 1
adding a regenerated catalyst from the regenerator to the FCC riser for catalytic cracking and upgrading the CLO and second feedstock to produce upgraded products
Implementation Method 2
The catalyst material on which a coke is deposited during the cracking process is transported to the regenerator. The inevitable coking issue that deactivates the zeolite is turned into an advantage as coke is burned and heat is transferred to the reactor zone through the reheated catalyst material
Implementation Method 3
The reactant mixture expands and cools due to the endothermic cracking reaction as gases are formed
Data Source
AI summary
A FCC process including the steps of(a) adding a crude lignin oil (CLO) to a FCC unit, wherein the FCC unit has a FCC riser, a catalyst regenerator and a reactor/stripper, wherein CLO is a crude lignin oil composition including lignin and a polar organic solvent in 1:10 to 1:0.3 w/v ratio,(b) optionally adding a second feed including a conventional FCC feedstock to the FCC unit,(c) adding a regenerated catalyst from the regenerator to the FCC riser for catalytic cracking and upgrading the CLO and second feedstock to produce upgraded products and deactivated catalyst,(d) adding the upgraded products and deactivated catalyst from the FCC riser to the reactor/stripper and separating upgraded products from deactivated catalyst in the reactor/stripper,(e) adding the deactivated catalyst from (d) to the regenerator to regenerate the deactivated catalyst to provide regenerated catalyst; andcollecting the upgraded products.