Hydrotreating of Straight-Run Diesel/Coker Gasoline and Vacuum Gas Oil/Coker Gasoline Blends: Sulfur Removal and Changes in Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons

The main purpose of the present study is to assess the prospects for using alternative feedstock components in fuel production under conditions of declining petroleum reserves. It was shown that the combined hydroprocessing of distillates obtained from delayed coking with straight run and vacuum fractions at optimal blending ratios is an effective approach for expanding the feedstock base for the production of high quality motor fuels. The hydroprocessing experiments demonstrated a significant reduction in sulfur content and in the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the investigated mixtures, resulting in a high degree of desulfurization. It was also established that the hydrogen atmosphere and the preliminary sulfiding of the catalyst enhance the depth and stability of the process. The obtained results confirm that the proposed approach can improve the quality of refinery feedstocks and increase the efficiency of producing cleaner motor fuels.