Process intensified lauric acid self-ketonization and its economic and environmental impact on biolubricant base oil production
| Author(s) | Goculdas, Tejas | |
| Author(s) | Yuliu, Zhifei | |
| Author(s) | Sadula, Sunitha | |
| Author(s) | Zheng, Weiqing | |
| Author(s) | Saha, Basudeb | |
| Author(s) | Nanduri, Arvind | |
| Author(s) | Ierapetritou, Marianthi | |
| Author(s) | Vlachos, Dionisios G. | |
| Date Accessioned | 2024-08-05T19:35:41Z | |
| Date Available | 2024-08-05T19:35:41Z | |
| Publication Date | 2024-07-03 | |
| 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 | |
| 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. | |
| Sponsor | This work was supported as part of the Delaware Biosciences Center for Advanced Technology grant with award number 12A00448 and a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the Department of Energy, award number DE-SC0021559. | |
| 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. | |
| ISSN | 1463-9270 | |
| URL | https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/34645 | |
| Language | en_US | |
| Publisher | Green Chemistry | |
| dc.rights | Attribution 3.0 Unported | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ | |
| Keywords | responsible consumption and production | |
| Keywords | climate action | |
| Keywords | industry, innovation and infrastructure | |
| Title | Process intensified lauric acid self-ketonization and its economic and environmental impact on biolubricant base oil production | |
| Type | Article |
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