One-pot conversion of α-pinene into biomass high energy density fuel over a bifunctional zeolite catalyst

Abstract

A shape-selective bifunctional catalyst (Rux/SOT-Hβ) was furnished by loading Ru onto the Hβ zeolite prepared via seed organic template (SOT) method using the seeds obtained via steam-assisted conversion (SAC) method. The Rux/SOT-Hβ catalyst exhibited both favorable acid-catalytic performance and hydrogenation performance in the two-stage one-pot conversion of α-pinene, enabling an energy-efficient process for producing biomass blended high energy density fuels (HEDF). The effect of preparation conditions of Hβ zeolite carrier, metal type, loading amount, and loading method on the catalytic performance of the bifunctional catalyst was investigated. After the optimization of the catalytic process over Ru1.2/SOT-Hβ using pinane as the reaction medium, the resulting liquid reaction mixture without undergoing further distillation and other operations was found to possess good biomass HEDF properties. Feasible recyclability of Ru1.2/SOT-Hβ catalyst in α-pinene one-pot conversion was also demonstrated by a 3-run recycling test.