Production of bio-aromatics from ethanol-waste cooking oil mixtures over ZSM-5 catalyst material

Abstract The utilisation of ethanol-waste cooking oil (Eth- WCO) mixtures for the production of valuable chemicals has been considered. The study investigated the potential of synthesised HZSM-5 in the conversion of ethanol-oil mixtures to fuel-range hydrocarbons. HZSM-5 catalyst material was successfully synthesised and characterised and activities were tested in a fixed-bed reactor unit at temperatures of 400°C and 450 °C with a fixed weight hourly space velocity of 2.5 h-1 at atmospheric pressure. The synthesised catalyst had total surface area greater than 250 m2/g. From the catalyst activity test, it was observed that up to 93% conversion was achieved on the synthesised catalysts. The conversion product was rich in aromatic compounds such as p-xylene, toluene and naphthalene that have potential as feedstock in the chemical and petrochemical industries. The FeZSM-5 catalyst material had a generally higher percentage composition of p-xylene content, peaking at 30% at 400°C for pure waste cooking oil feedstock. Potential catalysts for bio-aromatics production from ethanol-waste cooking oil mixtures have been successfully synthesised and evaluated.