Production of renewable aviation fuel by waste cooking oil processing in a biorefinery scheme: Intensification of the purification zone

• Published in: Chemical engineering and processing Vol. 181; p. 109103
• Main Authors: Carrasco-Suárez, Ma. Teresa, Romero-Izquierdo, Araceli Guadalupe, Gutiérrez-Antonio, Claudia, Gómez-Castro, Fernando Israel, Hernández, Salvador
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-11-2022
• Subjects: Biojet fuel; Biorefinery; Hydroprocessing; Hydrotreating; Intensified distillation; Renewable aviation fuel; Waste cooking oil; Waste cooking oil; Hydrotreating; Intensified distillation; Biorefinery; Hydroprocessing; Renewable aviation fuel; Biojet fuel
• ISSN: 0255-2701; 1873-3204
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2022.109103

•Aviation biofuel: technically feasible, economic competitiveness is a challenge.•Low-cost material and process intensification into a biorefinery scheme is proposed.•Conversion of waste cooking oil into biojet fuel, other biofuels and electricity.•Intensification of the biojet fuel separation zone reduces in 66.95% the heat duty.•Biorefinery produce a surplus of 14.254 kWh, which saves 28.8 ton CO2/year.
Renewable aviation fuel is the most promising alternative to achieve the sustainable recovery of aviation sector. The production of this biofuel is technically feasible, but its economic competitiveness is still a challenge in spite of the use of low-cost raw materials as well as strategies for energy reduction. In this context, the biorefineries are an alternative that improves the profitability. Thus, in this work the conversion of waste cooking oil (WCO) through a biorefinery scheme is proposed along with the intensification of the biojet fuel separation zone. The resulting biorefinery produce 306.4 kg/h of biojet fuel, and it is self-sufficient in electricity requirements. The intensified biorefinery reduces in 66.95% the energy consumption, respect to the conventional one, along with a reduction of 3.07% in CO2 emissions. The intensified biorefinery has a capital cost 11.74% higher than the conventional one, but 2.68% and 8.13% less operating costs for steam and cooling water, respectively. The intensified biorefinery scheme can be improved through energy integration and the intensification of the ethanol recovery train. Finally, the conversion of WCO through an intensified biorefinery allows generating biofuels, bioenergy, and value-added products, with the simultaneous revaluation of this hazardous residue.
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