ABSTRACT
The prefix hydro is closely associated with either hydrogen or water. Well-known terms concerning the manufacture of modern lubricant base oils include hydrogenation, hydrotreating, and hydrocraking. These terms also refer to fuel production processes. The term hydrogenation is applied mostly to reactions of the hydrogen molecule (H2) with organic compound multiple bonds to saturate them. Accordingly, one can say it is just the addition of hydrogen to an unsaturated bond in the molecule that can include only carbon (C) and hydrogen (H)—for example, olefins-or unsaturated molecules encompassing more elements. The latter may include sulfur (S), oxygen (O), and/or nitrogen (N). A typical hydrogenation process is based on the reaction in which hydrogen adds to a double bond of CH, CHS, CHO, CHOS, CHON, or even CHOSN compounds to produce the most environmentally desirable saturated CH or CHO components of base oils and/or fuels. It is of note that the hydrogenation process is usually accomplished via heterogeneous catalytic reactions.
