INFLUENCES OF VARIOUS PROCESS PARAMETERS ON

TRIGLYCERIDES HYDROGENATION REACTIONS OBTAINED BY

ASPEN SIMULATION
Authors
Sandra B. Glišić1, Dragan Govedarica2, Aleksandar M. Orlović1

Affiliation
1
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11000 Belgrade,
Serbia, sglisic@tmf.bg.ac.rs, orlovic@tmf.bg.ac.rs
2
Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Boulevard Cara Lazara 1, 21101 Novi Sad, Serbia

Abstract
Considerable efforts have been made to find biofuel that could successfully reduce energy
consumption of limited fossil fuel reserves. In that manner, renewable diesel acquired a major
attention in both academic and industrial areas. Blends made of petrodiesel and green disel in
the amount of 5–30 wt% in most cases exhibited improved characteristics than those of neat
petrodiesel. As a mixture of n- and iso- paraffins, green biodiesel exhibits higher heating
value, higher cetane number and increased oxidation stability over conventional ester-based
biodiesel. Waste vegetable oil hydrogenation reactions were evaluated from the aspect of
pressure and temperature influence, hydrogen consumption and kinetic reactions.
Hydrotreating of triglycerides proceeded via the hydrocracking of triglycerides into
diglycerides, monoglycerides and fatty acids. Then fatty acids were subsequently
deoxygenated to hydrocarbons. Hydrotreating of fatty acids occurred primarily via
hydrodeoxygenation and the main liquid products were octadecane and heptadecane.
Process optimization of triglycerides hydrogenation are simulated using Aspen plus software.
When the temperature increased, the conversion of vegetable oil, isomerization selectivity,
alkane selectivity, cracking selectivity, together with the selectivity of decarboxylation plus
decarbonylation increased. Obtained results showed that hydrodeoxygenation could be
promoted by pressure increasing and a higher amount of n-C18 would be formed. Higher
reaction temperature is favored because of the higher amounts of formed iso-alkanes in final
products which are favorable because giving better cold flow properties of fuel blends.
Keywords: green diesel, triglyceride hydrogenation, refinery co-processing, kinetic, Aspen plus
process optimization.

Acknowledgements: Financial support by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of
Serbia through projects (Contract No. 451-03-68/2022-14/200135) and Institutional funding of the
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy University of Belgrade is gratefully acknowledged.