A process for producing an aviation fuel component

Abstract

A process for producing a renewable aviation fuel component is described, wherein the process comprises providing a renewable feedstock and subjecting the feedstock to a decarboxylation and/or decarbonylation (DCO) reaction ( 20 ) in a DCO zone, thereby obtaining a DCO effluent ( 21 ); subjecting at least a portion of the DCO effluent to a hydrotreatment (HT) reaction ( 30 ) in a HIT zone, to obtain a hydrotreated effluent ( 31 ); subjecting the hydrotreated effluent to a gas-liquid separation ( 40 ) to obtain a degassed hydrotreated effluent ( 41 ); subjecting at least a portion of the degassed hydrotreated effluent to hydroisomerisation (H-ISO) ( 50 ), thereby obtaining a hydroisomerised effluent ( 51 ); and subjecting at least a portion of the hydroisomerised effluent ( 51 ) to a fractionation ( 60 ), and recovering at least the renewable aviation fuel component

1 . A process for producing a renewable aviation fuel component, the process comprising:
 i) providing a renewable feedstock comprising free carboxylic acids (FCAs), esters of carboxylic acids, triglycerides, or combinations thereof;   ii) subjecting the feedstock to a decarboxylation and/or decarbonylation (DCO) reaction in a DCO zone, for removal of one carbon from a carbon chain of a carboxylic acid moiety of the renewable feedstock, in the presence of a DCO catalyst, wherein the DCO zone:
 the DCO deoxygenation selectivity is at least 75 wt-% of a total weight of deoxygenated hydrocarbons, and 
 the deoxygenation conversion is at least 50 wt-% of a total weight of the feedstock, 
   thereby obtaining a DCO effluent;   iii) subjecting at least a portion of the DCO effluent from step ii) to a hydrotreatment (HT) reaction in a presence of hydrogen and a hydrotreatment catalyst in a HT zone, to obtain a hydrotreated effluent;   iv) subjecting the hydrotreated effluent from step iii) to a gas-liquid separation to obtain a degassed hydrotreated effluent;   v) subjecting at least a portion of the degassed hydrotreated effluent from step iv) to hydroisomerisation (H-ISO), thereby obtaining a hydroisomerised effluent; and   vi) subjecting at least a portion of the hydroisomerised effluent from step v) to a fractionation and recovering at least the renewable aviation fuel component.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the DCO deoxygenation selectivity in the step ii) is one of at least 80 wt-%, at least 85 wt-%, at least 90 wt-%, at least 95 wt-%, and at least 97 wt-%, of the total weight of deoxygenated hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the deoxygenation conversion of the step ii) is one of at least 55 wt-%, at least 60 wt-%, at least 70 wt-%, at least 80 wt-%, at least 90 wt-%, at least 95%, and at least 99 wt-%, of the total weight of the feedstock. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the DCO effluent from step ii) is subjected at least partly to a separation of at least CO and/or CO 2  gases, before directing the DCO effluent to step iii). 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the DCO catalyst of the step ii) is a heterogeneous catalyst comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, copper, zinc, molybdenum, manganese, ruthenium, rhodium, rhenium, iridium, palladium, platinum, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the DCO catalyst further comprises at least one support selected from the group consisting of alumina; silica; zirconia; titania; carbon; activated carbon; graphite; molecular sieve; and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the DCO reaction of the step ii) is at least one of carried out in the presence of a H 2  feed ratio of less than 300 nl H 2 /liter of the feedstock, and carried out completely without added H 2 . 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the DCO reaction of the step ii) is carried out at one of a temperature of 50-450° C., a temperature of 200-450° C., a temperature of 250-400° C.; a pressure of 0.1-10 MPa; and a pressure of 0.1-2 MPa. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the DCO reaction of the step ii) is carried out at one of a Weight Hourly Space Velocity (WHSV) of 0.1-15 h −1 , and a WHSV of 0.25-5 h −1 . 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the HT reaction of the step iii) is selected from the group consisting of hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), hydrogenation of double bonds, hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), hydrodesulfurization (HDS), and combinations thereof; and the HT reaction of the step iii) comprises HDN. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the HT reaction of the step iii) is carried out in the presence of the HT catalyst comprising at least one of a group VIII element, a group VIB metal, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, NiMo, CoMo, NiW, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the HT catalyst of the step iii) further comprises at least one support selected from zeolite, silica, alumina, amorphous silica alumina (ASA), and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the HT reaction of the step iii) is carried out at a H 2  feed ratio of one of 50-2000 nl H 2 /liter of feed, 100-1000 nl H 2 /liter of feed, and 150-500 nl H 2 /liter of feed. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the HT reaction of the step iii) is carried out at at least one of:
 a temperature of 250-450° C., preferably the temperature is 280-350° C.; and   a pressure of 1-20 MPa, preferably the pressure is 2-10 MPa.   
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein in the step iii), sulfur is added to the DCO effluent at a concentration of one of 50-5000 wt-ppm sulfur and 100-2000 wt-ppm of sulfur. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a. subjecting at least a portion of one least one of:
 the DCO effluent from the step ii), 
 the hydrotreated effluent from the step iii), 
 the degassed hydrotreated effluent from the step iv), and 
 the hydroisomerised effluent from the step v) 
   to a fractionation (FRAC), and recovering at least a first fraction comprising hydrocarbons with a carbon number >C17 and a second fraction comprising hydrocarbons with a carbon number ≤C17;   b. directing the hydrocarbons with a carbon number >C17 to a hydrocracking (HC) in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst, thereby obtaining a hydrocracked effluent;   c. combining the hydrocracked effluent together with the second fraction; and   d. directing the combined hydrocracked effluent and the second fraction to step iii), iv), v) or vi), respectively.   
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the H-ISO of the step v) is done in the presence of a hydroisomerisation catalyst comprising at least one of:
 at least one metal selected from Group VIII of the Periodic Table, nickel, platinum, and palladium;   a carrier selected from Al 2 O 3  and SiO 2 ; and   a molecular sieve selected from SAPO-11, SAPO-41, ZSM-22, ZSM-23 and ferrierite.   
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the H-ISO of the step v) is conducted at at least one of:
 a hydroisomerisation temperature selected from 200-500° C., 230-500° C., 250-450° C., and 280-400° C.; and   a pressure selected from 2-15 MPa, 1-10 MPa, and 3-10 MPa.   
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the renewable feedstock is subjected to a pretreatment prior to the step ii), wherein the pretreatment comprises at least one of:
 a. removal of at least one of impurities, metals, sulfur, and phosphorus, from the renewable feedstock;   b. hydrolysis of the renewable feedstock;   c. fractionation of the renewable feedstock;   d. hydrogenation of the renewable feedstock, and   e. combinations thereof.   
     
     
         20 . (canceled)