Abstract
Bio-hydrogenated diesel (BHD), derived from vegetable oil via hydrotreating technology, is a promising alternative transportation fuel to replace nonsustainable petroleum diesel. In this work, a novel Pt-based catalyst supported on N-doped activated carbon prepared from polypyrrole as the nitrogen source (Pt/N-AC) was developed and applied in the palm oil deoxygenation process to produce BHD in a fixed bed reactor system. High conversion rates of triglycerides (conversion of TG > 90%) and high deoxygenation percentage (DeCOx% = 76% and HDO% = 7%) were obtained for the palm oil deoxygenation over Pt/N-AC catalyst at optimised reaction conditions: T = 300 °C, 30 bar of H2, and LHSV = 1.5 h−1. In addition to the excellent performance, the Pt/N-AC catalyst is highly stable in the deoxygenation reaction, as confirmed by the XRD and TEM analyses of the spent sample. The incorporation of N atoms in the carbon structure alters the electronic density of the catalyst, favouring the interaction with electrophilic groups such as carbonyls, and thus boosting the DeCOx route over the HDO pathway. Overall, this work showcases a promising route to produce added value bio-fuels from bio-compounds using advanced N-doped catalysts.
Highlights
The utilisation of renewable energy sources has been encouraged in view of economic and environmental considerations such as the energy crisis, rising crude oil price, air pollution and global warming, all of which stem from the dependence on fossil fuels
Even though DeCO2 of fatty acids does not need a supply of H2, the addition of H2 could increase the rate of the deoxygenation reaction [29]
The occurrence of coupling reactions between the intermediates in a solventless reaction system will decrease the selectivity of desired alkane products [31]
Summary
The utilisation of renewable energy sources has been encouraged in view of economic and environmental considerations such as the energy crisis, rising crude oil price, air pollution and global warming, all of which stem from the dependence on fossil fuels. Natural triglycerides originating from vegetable oils and animal fats consist of a glycerol backbone with three fatty acid moieties [2] They possess the potential to produce hydrocarbon fuels considering their simple structure and low degree of functionalization [3]. Two main catalytic reactions could covert triglycerides into biofuel for diesel engines: (1) transesterification with methanol to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs); (2) catalytic deoxygenation process to produce bio-hydrogenated diesel (BHD), i.e., so-called green diesel. Irrespective of the active metal, the nature of the support is the key to ensure successful performance in the upgrading reaction In this regard, nitrogen-doped carbons (NC) have received increased attention in recent years. A N-doped activated carbon supported Pt catalyst (Pt/N-AC) was synthesised and tested in a palm oil deoxygenation process to produce bio-hydrogenated diesel. Our study could provide guidance for the selection of a catalyst and for the optimization of the reaction conditions for green diesel production from seed oil and fats
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