UPGRADING OF PYROLYSIS OIL INTO DIESEL-LIKE FUEL OIL: COMPARISON BETWEEN IN-SITU AND EX-SITU TEST RIG

Upgrading of pyrolysis oil to petrochemical products is favorable as these products are more easily accepted in the existing energy infrastructure. Pyrolysis oil derived from pyrolyzing examination rubber gloves was catalytically upgraded over zeolite using two different rigs namely in situ test rig and ex situ test rig. In the in situ test rig, chemical composition of the upgraded oil was similar to the black thermal pyrolysis oil. This is due to the presence of moisture in the primary pyrolysis gas, as well as due to the macromolecular structure of the ester compounds that prohibit entrance into the cation site of the zeolite. Meanwhile, upgrading of pyrolysis oil in the ex situ test rig produced yellow colour oil. Polyaromatic hydrocarbon compounds of 3-ring and 4-ring benzene compounds were absent in this upgraded oil. It was observed that the pyrolysis oil was de-oxygenated by the action of the zeolites resulting in straight chain hydrocarbons that emulate diesel fuel. The main composition of the upgraded oil remained to be 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester. Although the black pyrolysis oil can be upgraded, but the yield of diesel-like fuel oil reduced considerably.