Adsorption of nitrogen contaminants in the Light Gas Oil (LGO) and Light Cycle Oil (LCO) to produce diesel with low sulfur

摘要

Ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) is obtained'by Light Gas Oil (LGO) and Light Cycle Oil (LCO) feedstocks (middle fractions from distillate petroleum). In addition to the environmental requirements related to the production of fuels with a lower content of nitrogen, technical specifications refineries also stimulate the need to remove such compounds. Nitrogenous compounds, for example, are strong inhibitors for hydrodesulfurization reactions. As Brazilian oil has a high amount of nitrogen compounds, an alternative process for nitrogen removal has been investigated, such as adsorption. In this paper, the nitrogen removal was investigated. The adsorption tests were carried out in a shaking water batchs, by performing kinetic and isotherm tests. Two commercial clays were used: Fuller's earth and bentonite.