Liquid fuels from ethylene tar by two-stage catalytic hydroprocessing

Two-stage hydroprocessing of ethylene tar was performed on bench-scale equipment under typical reaction conditions of hydrogen pressure of 6 MPa, liquid hourly space velocity of 0.8 h⁻¹, H₂/oil volume ratio of 1,600, first-stage temperature of 360°C, and second-stage temperature of 380°C. Alumina-supported molybdenum-nickel (Mo-Ni) and tungsten-nickel (W-Ni) catalysts, which were prepared through combinational technologies of ultrasonic-assisted impregnation and temperature-programming, were filled in the first and second stages, respectively. Gasoline (≤180°C) and diesel (180–360°C) fractions separated from the produced oil were analyzed. Results showed that the ethylene tar can be considerably upgraded through two-stage catalytic hydroprocessing, and fuels with sulfur and nitrogen contents of less than 10 and 2 ppm, respectively, were obtained.