Effects of Catalytic Hydrotreating on Light Cycle Oil Fuel Quality

A pilot plant study was conducted to evaluate three commercial catalysts for hydrotreating of light cycle oil to reduce its aromatic content and improve the cetane index. The operating parameters were varied between 325 and 400 °C, 1 and 3 h⁻¹, and 4 and 10 MPa at 535 L/L. The data showed that, in general, the product density and aromatic content decreased as the temperature or pressure increased or space velocity decreased. The cetane index improvement ranged from 7.3 to 10.0 for the Ni-W/Al₂O₃ catalyst and from 6.1 to 10.1 for the Ni-Mo/Al₂O₃ catalysts. The catalyst performance was evaluated in terms of hydrodesulfurization, hydrodenitrogenation, hydrogenation, aromatic saturation, and hydrogen consumption. This study confirms that light cycle oil can be hydrotreated to improve its cetane quality, thus increasing the extent of its blending ratio into the diesel pool.