Process intensified lauric acid self-ketonization and its economic and environmental impact on biolubricant base oil production
Date
2024-07-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Green Chemistry
Abstract
Lubricant base oils, traditionally derived from non-renewable petroleum, contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, oils sourced from furfural and long-chain ketones through aldol condensation and hydrodeoxygenation present a renewable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative, offering superior cold flow properties. However, the production of long-chain ketones, a crucial component, currently relies on solvent dewaxing in refineries, which is costly and non-selective. One promising biobased approach involves self-ketonization of long-chain fatty acids derived from coconut or palm kernel oils. This method typically employs high boiling point solvents like dodecane or is done in a batch configuration, limiting its scale and industrial viability. This study addresses this bottleneck by eliminating solvents, transitioning to a continuous flow reactor, and achieving kilogram-scale production of long-chain ketones with exceptional selectivity (90%). The lab-scale setup can yield up to 25 kg of 12-tricosanone per month, utilizing earth-abundant MgO as a catalyst. The catalyst underwent slight deactivation due to carbonate formation. Catalyst stabilization, using mixed metal oxides, and regeneration via simple calcination in air are also discussed. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) indicates a 29% lower minimum selling price than the commercial synthetic poly alpha olefin (PAO). Life cycle assessment (LCA) evaluates the global warming potential (GWP) under different environmental assumptions. Under the carbon-neutral assumption for lauric acid production, an 8.9% reduction in GWP was achieved compared to petroleum-based lubricants.
Description
This article was originally published in Green Chemistry. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4GC01721H . This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2024
Keywords
Citation
Goculdas, Tejas, Zhifei Yuliu, Sunitha Sadula, Weiqing Zheng, Basudeb Saha, Arvind Nanduri, Marianthi Ierapetritou, and Dionisios G. Vlachos. “Process Intensified Lauric Acid Self-Ketonization and Its Economic and Environmental Impact on Biolubricant Base Oil Production.” Green Chemistry 26, no. 15 (2024): 8818–30. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4GC01721H.