Production of renewable biofuels

摘要

Renewable fuels are produced in commercial quantities and with enhanced efficiency by integrating a bio-oil production system with a conventional petroleum refinery so that the bio-oil is co-processed with a petroleum-derived stream in the refinery. The techniques used to integrate the bio-oil production system and conventional petroleum refineries are selected based on the quality of the bio-oil and the desired product slate from the refinery.

主权项

1. A process for producing a renewable fuel, said process comprising:
(a) providing one or more bio-oils selected from the group consisting of a high stability bio-oil, an intermediate-stability bio-oil, and a low-stability bio-oil, wherein said high stability bio-oil has a stability parameter of less than 30 centipoise per hour (cp/h), said intermediate-stability bio-oil has a stability parameter in the range of 30 to 75 cp/h, and said low stability bio-oil has a stability parameter greater than 75 cp/h; and (b) processing at least one of said bio-oils in a petroleum refinery according to one or more of the following methods (i) through (vi)—
(i) combining at least a portion of said high-stability bio-oil with a first petroleum-derived stream of said petroleum refinery to thereby form a first combined stream, hydrotreating said first combined stream to thereby produce a first hydrotreated stream, and fractionating said first hydrotreated stream;(ii) combining at least a portion of said high-stability, bio-oil with a second petroleum-derived stream of said petroleum refinery to thereby form a second combined stream, catalytically cracking said second combined stream to thereby produce a second cracked stream, and fractionating said second cracked stream;(iii) combining at least a portion of said intermediate-stability bio-oil with a third petroleum-derived stream of said petroleum refinery to thereby form a third combined stream, hydrotreating said third combined stream to thereby produce a third hydrotreated stream, catalytically cracking at least a portion of said third hydrotreated stream to thereby produce a third cracked stream, and fractionating said third cracked stream;(iv) combining at least a portion of said intermediate-stability bio-oil with a fourth petroleum-derived stream of said petroleum refinery to thereby form a fourth combined stream, hydrotreating said fourth combined stream to thereby produce a fourth hydrotreated stream, thermally cracking at least a portion of said fourth hydrotreated stream to thereby produce a fourth cracked stream, and fractionating said fourth cracked stream;(v) combining at least a portion of said low-stability bio-oil with a fifth petroleum-derived stream of said petroleum refinery to thereby form a fifth combined stream, thermally cracking at least a portion of said fifth combined stream to thereby produce a fifth cracked stream, and fractionating said fifth cracked stream; and/or(vi) combining at least a portion of said low-stability bio-oil with a sixth petroleum-derived stream of said petroleum refinery to thereby form a sixth combined stream, fractionating at least a portion of said sixth combined stream into at least a sixth heavy bio-fraction and a sixth light bio-fraction, hydrotreating at least a portion of said sixth light bio-fraction to thereby produce a sixth hydrotreated bio-fraction, and thermally cracking at least a portion of said sixth heavy bio-fraction to thereby produce a sixth thermally cracked bio-fraction.