Renewable Organic Feedstock Purification with Heated Adsorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional purification methods are inadequate for effectively removing silicon and phosphorous impurities from renewable organic materials, which act as catalyst poisons, leading to decreased catalyst lifetime in hydrotreating processes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving heat treatment of renewable organic materials in the presence of silica-based adsorbents at 180 to 325°C, followed by filtration and hydrotreatment under specific conditions to remove silicon and phosphorous compounds, enhancing the material's quality for use in hydrotreating processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional purification methods (filtration or bleaching) are used, then the process is simple and easy to operate, but silicon and phosphorous impurities are not effectively removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by heating the renewable organic material to elevated temperatures (180-325°C) during purification. This temperature parameter change transforms the physical and chemical properties of the material, enabling effective removal of silicon and phosphorous impurities through enhanced adsorption by silica-based materials, thereby resolving the contradiction between removal efficiency and process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces silica-based adsorbents as intermediary substances that selectively bind to silicon and phosphorous impurities. These intermediaries facilitate the removal of harmful substances without requiring complex equipment, thus achieving high purification efficiency while maintaining relatively simple process conditions
2Duration of action of stationary object
If silicon and phosphorous impurities are not removed, then the purification process is short and simple, but catalyst lifetime in hydrotreating decreases due to catalyst poisoning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing purification treatment before hydrotreating to remove silicon and phosphorous impurities that would otherwise poison the catalyst. This advance removal prevents catalyst deactivation and extends catalyst lifetime, while the optimized heating and adsorption process minimizes the time required for this preliminary purification step
3Manufacturing precision
If polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) are present from anti-fouling agents, then the material has good anti-fouling properties, but the silicon compounds become difficult to remove due to solubility in oil
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing temperature effects to alter the solubility and adsorption characteristics of PDMS compounds. By heating to 180-325°C, the process enhances the interaction between silica-based adsorbents and silicon compounds, overcoming the solubility issue and enabling effective removal of these otherwise difficult-to-remove impurities
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
The method allows the use of low-quality renewable organic materials as feedstock, resulting in a purified product with less than 20% of the original silicon content, suitable for producing high-quality renewable fuels and chemicals.
Implementation Method 1
heat treating the feed of lipid material in the presence of an adsorbent at 180 to 325°C
Implementation Method 2
hydrotreating the lipid material in a presence of a hydrotreating catalyst at a temperature from 270 to 380°C under pressure from 4 to 20 MPa
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided herein is a method of purifying a recycled or renewable organic material (10), wherein the recycled or renewable organic material (10) comprises more than 1 ppm silicon as silicon compounds and/or more than 10 ppm phosphorous as phosphorous compounds, comprising the steps of (a) providing a feed of the lipid material; (b) optionally pre heat treating 20) the recycled or renewable organic material (10) at 180 to 325°C and optionally adding acid before or after the heat treatment process and optionally filtering the pre heat treated recycled or renewable organic material; (c) heat treating (40) the recycled or renewable organic material (10) in the presence of an adsorbent at 180 to 325°C and filtering (50) the heat treated recycled or renewable organic material, and optionally adding acid before or after the heat treatment process; (d) optionally blending the heat treated recycled or renewable organic material with a hydrocarbon or lipid-based stream; (e) optionally evaporating (30) the volatile silicon compounds from the heat treated recycled or renewable organic material; and (f) hydrotreating (60) the lipid material in a presence of a hydrotreating catalyst; to obtain purified hydrotreated recycled or renewable organic material (61) comprising less than 20%, preferably less than 10%, more preferably less than 5%, of the original silicon content of the recycled or renewable organic material provided in step (a) and/or less than 30% of the original phosphorous content of the recycled or renewable organic material provided in step (a).