Preparation of Ni- and Mo-based catalysts supported on γ-Al2O3 for hydrocracking of Calophyllum inophyllum oil

Abstract

A simple method for dispersing supported metal catalysts comprising Ni and/or Mo supported on γ-Al2O3 was performed by wet impregnation. This study investigated the preparation, characterization, and catalytic application of monometallic catalyst of NiO and MoO and bimetallic catalyst NiO–MoO supported on γ-Al2O3 for hydrocracking of Calophyllum inophyllum oil (CIO). Two variations of metal content were set at 7.5 wt% (marked as x) and 15.0 wt% (marked as y); thus, the prepared catalysts were denoted as yNiO/γ-Al2O3, yMoO/γ-Al2O3, xNiOxMoO/γ-Al2O3, and yNiOyMoO/γ-Al2O3. Among the catalysts investigated, yNiOyMoO/γ-Al2O3 exhibited the best performance in hydrocracking of CIO with total metal content, acidity, and specific surface area of 13.73 wt%, 9.13 mmol g−1, and 104.31 m2 g−1, respectively, and produced 69.44 wt% liquid product (biofuel). The gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy analysis result of the liquid product showed that the biofuel was composed of 38.54 wt% gasoline fraction (C5–C12), 9.80 wt% kerosene fraction (C13–C15), 17.69 wt% diesel fuel fraction (C16–C19), and 3.43 wt% heavy oil (>C19).