H-Bio
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H-Bio is an oil-refining processes which involves converting vegetable oil into high-quality
diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
via hydrogenation.
Hydrogenation Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a Catalysis, catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed to redox, reduce or S ...
is a chemical reaction, in which a substance is treated with
Hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
, thus resulting in a new product. In H-Bio, Hydrogen is added to vegetable oil and mineral oil, making a usable diesel that is made up of diesel oil and 10% vegetable oil. The process was first developed in 2006 by the Brazilian, state-owned and gas company,
Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a state owned enterprise, state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company's name transla ...
, and was primarily established for commercial use. H-Bio can be used to power many cars that already use diesel, therefore, H-Bio can be widely sold to car owners in local fuel stations. Moreover, the process has many advantages when compared to traditional methods, but also has drawbacks. H-Bio has been tested and confirmed as a viable method to supply diesel globally.


Process

The procedure requires that the diesel pass through the Hydrodesulfurization Chamber, the Cracking Unit, and mix with HDS Light Cycle Oil. The Hydrodesulfurization Chamber removes the majority of the Sulfur content found in the diesel. The Cracking Unit breaks up the
hydrocarbons In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...
, and then H-Bio is mixed with great amounts of poor diesel fuel. The process consists of:


Hydrodesulfurization

Diesel first passes through the
distillation Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separation process, separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distilla ...
unit to undergo hydrodesulfurization (HDS). Hydrodesulfurization is the process of removing sulfur from petroleum-based products by chemically combining it with hydrogen, resulting in
hydrogen sulfide Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The unde ...
. Hydrogen and sulfur are combined in a hydrodesulfurization reactor, usually under the presence of a metal
catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
, where pressure is added to the bond and it is heated in temperatures ranging from 300° to 400° Celsius (572° to 752° Fahrenheit), resulting in Hydrogen Sulfide molecules that are not included in the diesel.


Cracking Unit

The diesel is then passed through the Cracking Unit. The Cracking Unit is a device that breaks up the hydrocarbons, that make up the diesel, into smaller sizes. Companies break up the hydrocarbons so that they make the most petroleum-based products, with the amount of supply they have.


Mixing with HDS Light Cycle Oil

Next, the diesel is mixed with HDS light cycle oil (LCO). The HDS light cycle oil is a poor diesel fuel due to its high sulfur content and poor engine
ignition Ignition may refer to: Science and technology * Firelighting, the human act of creating a fire for warmth, cooking and other uses * Combustion, an exothermic chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant * Fusion ignition, the point at which a ...
performance, thus it is mixed with H-Bio. The two are combined to produce the maximum amount of high-quality fuel possible, with the given amount of supply. When HDS Light Cycle Oil and H-Bio are blended, the fluid
viscosity The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water. Viscosity quantifies the inte ...
is modified for maximum performance, resulting in high-quality diesel. The resulting diesel has great ignition performance with very little sulfur content. Finally, the diesel is mixed with other components that do not require the hydrogenation process and this mixture results in H-Bio.


Application

H-Bio can be easily implemented into society. H-Bio is compatible with any vehicle that already uses diesel as its main fuel source, in which no modifications to the engine or transmission are necessary. Additionally, H-Bio can be sold to consumers in local fuel stations, unlike its counterpart,
biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...
.


Pros

H-Bio has many aspects that are very beneficial. Some advantages include car efficiency, diesel characteristics that enhance performance, and fewer green house emissions. The main advantages of the H-Bio are that: * The process does not generate waste. * No special efforts are needed to keep the diesel usable, such as separate storage. * Cars that currently use diesel are already adapted to use H-Bio. * The diesel has better ignition performance and a lower density. * H-Bio is a higher-quality diesel with very little sulfur content, and therefore will release fewer
sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activ ...
molecules A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...
, a main component of acid rain, emissions in the
atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...
, thus not emitting as much
greenhouse gases A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor (), carbon dioxide (), methane ...
as traditional methods. *Drivers still retain the same
miles per gallon The fuel economy of an Car, automobile relates distance traveled by a vehicle and the amount of fuel consumption, fuel consumed. Consumption can be expressed in terms of volume of fuel to travel a distance, or the distance traveled per unit volu ...
(MPG). * The Hydrogen used is recycled throughout the process. * The vegetable oil used for the process can be from various sources, which means that obtaining the appropriate vegetable oils for the process is easier, thus opening up more options for the consumer and the corporation. Having various options in production input can lead to a flexibility in choices like, diesel pricing and quality.


Cons

H-Bio also has drawbacks, which include the high production costs and green house gases emitted when the diesel is burned. * The high cost of the process itself. The high cost of the procedure has created setbacks in production. Petrobras has currently stopped production, until production costs go down, due to the fact that one barrel of diesel, produced from soy oil, costs $180. The production costs of producing one barrel of regular diesel only costs $104. * Another major con is the release of some
greenhouse gasses A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor (), carbon dioxide (), methane ...
. Although this type of diesel realizes fewer
sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
compounds into the atmosphere, other potent greenhouse gases are released, such as
carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
and
water vapor (99.9839 °C) , - , Boiling point , , - , specific gas constant , 461.5 J/( kg·K) , - , Heat of vaporization , 2.27 MJ/kg , - , Heat capacity , 1.864 kJ/(kg·K) Water vapor, water vapour or aqueous vapor is the gaseous pha ...
, which lead to gaps in the atmosphere. In the
exhaust Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to: Law *Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law **Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law ** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, in p ...
of a diesel engine, 2%-12% of emissions are carbon dioxide concentrations, and another 2%-12% are water vapor concentration.


Future outlook

H-Bio has achieved industrial testing that uses soybean oil to produce diesel. The results proved that the process is more than capable of being mass-produced and implemented into society. Moreover, Petrobras has filed for patents to the (INPI), to mass-produce H-Bio and distribute it globally. The short-term goal is to create two refineries and eventually expand to five refineries in the long term. Next, the company will test this process, with different types of vegetable oils, in other refineries, and lastly, they will analyze the results.


References

{{Reflist


External links

* http://www.petrobras.com.br/pt/ Biofuels