Production of ultralow sulfur diesel
(ULSD) is a tough challenge
for refineries previously producing low sulfur diesel. Some common
solutions to meet the stricter standards are revamping pre-existing
units, building new facilities, purchasing high-activity catalysts,
adapting alternative desulfurization techniques, and changing the
feedstock; however, these methods usually entail high capital investments
or are simply not viable. Another option, generally overlooked, is
to place different catalysts in multibed configurations to produce
a synergistic effect between them, i.e., catalyst stacking technology.
This work aims to broaden the current knowledge and scope of this
technology and suggest it as a viable low-investment solution for
ULSD production. As we have described, the differences between the
catalysts can be exploited to maximize the performance and minimize
the operating costs of HDS units. Moreover, any new HDS catalyst performance
could benefit from a fitting stacked-bed system, especially if it
has high production costs. However, the synergistic effect between
the catalysts is not fully understood yet, and designing the best
stacking system (number, order, and proportions of the catalysts)
is not straightforward. Many factors must be considered, such as the
characteristics of the catalysts (active phase, support, and kinetic
parameters), feedstock composition, operating constraints, and target
end product. Currently, the selection of the optimal configuration
is inadequately approached case by case and requires multiple catalytic
evaluations on an industrially relevant scale because a reliable predictive
method has not been established yet. Therefore, valuable time and
resources could be saved by thoroughly studying the influences of
the variables on the synergetic effects and developing new mathematical
models. Furthermore, there are still many alternative applications
of this technology that could solve current and future issues of the
refining industry, like the reuse of spent catalysts and the coprocessing
of bio-oils with conventional feedstocks.