(600al) Hydrocracking of Vacuum Residue Using Activated Carbon and Metal Oxide in a Supercritical Solvent

Recently, a rising demand for conventional light petroleum products has prompted the petroleum industry to refine heavier crude oils of lower quality. In addition, due to the dwindling reserves of sweet crude oil and environmental concerns, a greater amount of petroleum residue has to be converted into lighter fractions. Therefore, the process alternatives are most attractive to produce a high yield of light petroleum products from residue oil.

In this study, hydrocracking of vacuum residue with various types of activated carbons (ACs) and metal additives was conducted in supercritical m-xylene. Petroleum pitch-based ACs before and after the acid treatment were applied to the hydrocracking of vacuum residue under a supercritical m-xylene solvent. And the results were compared to those obtained by using bituminous coal-based AC at the same experimental condition. The contribution of metal oxide additives to the VR hydrocracking with AC in supercritical m-xylene was also studied. The conversion, coke formation, and quality of oil products (fractions of naphtha, middle distillate, vacuum gas oil, and residue) were evaluated at each condition. The conversion and quality of oil products strongly depended on the pore structure and surface functional groups of the AC. When a metal additive was supplied to the reaction, the conversion as well as the yields of the light fraction could be improved.