Jet range hydrocarbons converted from microalgal biodiesel over mesoporous zeolite-based catalysts

Abstract

In order to produce jet biofuel from lipids derived from microalgal biomass, lower-viscosity and smaller-molecular microalgal biodiesel was converted into jet range hydrocarbons over four mesoporous zeolite-based catalysts decorated with nickel. Ni/Meso-Y catalyst exhibited a high selectivity (44.5%) of jet range alkane (C8C16) from light microalgal biodiesel. The conversion pathway of light microalgal biodiesel to jet range hydrocarbons was proposed that majority of fatty acids first deoxygenated to C15C16 through decarbonylation and then long chain alkane cracked into short chain alkane. The other fatty acids first cracked into short chain acids and then further deoxygenated through decarbonylation to jet range alkane, in which a part of alkane converted to aromatic hydrocarbons through aromatization. Meso-Y catalyst was suitable for conversion of heavy microalgal biodiesel to jet range hydrocarbons with low selectivity (4.47%) of aromatic hydrocarbons, but the other three catalysts (Meso-HZSM-5, Meso-Hbeta and SAPO-34) gave high aromatic hydrocarbons selectivity.