NON ALIMENTARY RAPESEED OIL UPGRADING - A PARAMETRIC STUDY OF METHYL OLEATE PYROLYSIS

Methyl oleate (major rapeseed oil methyl esters) diluted with nitrogen vias pyrolyzed in a tubular reactor. The effects of temperature (betw een 500 and 700 degrees C) and flow time (from 0.6 ro 1.2 s) on the cr acking reaction were studied. The cracking effluents were condensed an d fractionated into liquid and gazeous effluents. The la;ter were anal yzed online by infrared spectrometry and gas chromatography. The forme r were identified by GC/MS and analyzed by gas chromatography. We obta ined linear a-olefins, n-paraffins and unsaturated methyl esters. The gas fraction also contained H-2, CH4, CO and CO2. The best yields of C -10-C-14 alpha-olefins and C6:1-C12:1 unsaturated esters, high value p roducts were obtained at about 600 degrees C and for a flow time of ab out 1.2 s with a molar ratio of 10/1 (nitrogen/methyl oleate). (C) 199 8 Elsevier Science B.V.