Page 36 - PR 2014 2016 03 Applications of Ionizing Radiations

78 Application of Ionizing Radiations | Progress Report

Radiation combined with hydrothermal minutes of diluted acid treatment and 24 h of
treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis enzymatic hydrolysis.

The conversion of hemicelluloses reached 42% Petroleum and diesel fuel desulfurization
after thermal treatment by 40 minutes for enhancement by ionizing radiation
sugarcane bagasse irradiated with 50 kGy.
After the addition of diluted sulfuric acid (0.1% Hydrodesulphurization, HDS, is currently the
v/v), almost the totality of hemicellulose is most common method used by refineries to
converted in xylose and byproducts, mainly remove sulfur compounds from petroleum
furfural. The enzymatic conversion yield of fractions. However, it is not highly effective
cellulose reached 72% in samples irradiated for removing thiophenes compounds such as
with 50 kGy and 60 min. of thermal treat- benzothiophene. Additionally, this process
ment. When dilute sulfuric acid was added, generates high costs for the oil industry. In
it was observed an increase in the cellulose the present work, ionizing radiation was used
conversion, however the time was reduced, as an advanced oxidation process in order to
and the higher value (74%) was reached in 40 enhance the removal of sulfur contents from
petroleum and diesel fuel. Samples of crude
oil and diesel fuel, without any pretreatment,
Radiation Combined with Thermal
were irradiated using a Radiation Dynamics
TH40 TH60 TH40EH24
Electron Beam Accelerator in batch systems
TH60EH24 TH40EH48 TH60EH48
at 30 kGy and 50 kGy absorbed doses. The
80 sulfur compounds were extracted and then
analyzed by gas chromatography associated
Conversion yield (%) 40 to mass spectrometry, GCMS, and by gas chro-
60
matography coupled with flame ionization
detector, GCFID. Furthermore, the petroleum
and diesel fuel samples were analyzed by
20
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, FTIR,
0
Untreated 20 kGy 30 kGy 50 kGy to detect chemical changes in sulfur com-
pounds. It was observed a high efficiency of
Radiation Combined with Dilute Acid
ionizing radiation on the degradation of sulfur
AH40 AH60 AH40EH24 compounds such as benzothiophene and ben-

AH60EH24 AH40EH48 AH60EH48 zenethiol and the formation of fragments, for
80 instance 1,2- dimethylbenzene and toluene.
Conversion yield (%) 60 Study of the effect of ionizing radiation for

utilization of spent cracking catalysts. Cata-
40
lyst is a substance that changes the rate of a
reaction. In the petroleum industry, the com-
20
monly catalysts are used for Fluid Catalytic
0
Untreated 20 kGy 30 kGy 50 kGy Cracking (FCC) and Hidrocatalytic Cracking
(HCC), which one applied in a specific stage.
Figure 55. Enzymatic hydrolysis yield of cellulose after Electron
Beam Processing (EBP) Followed by Thermal (TH) and Acid Treat- These catalysts are used to facilitate the mo-
ment (AH).
lecular chains cracking which will generate

Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares