Conversion pathways of palm oil into jet biofuel catalyzed by mesoporous zeolites

Abstract

Three mesoporous zeolites (Ni/Meso-Y, Ni/Meso-Hbeta, and Ni/Meso-HZSM-5) were used to catalytically convert palm oil into jet biofuel through various reaction pathways. Zeolite Ni/Meso-Y exhibited the highest jet range alkane yield (30.7%) and the lowest jet range aromatic hydrocarbon yield (13%). The acid density and surface area of zeolite Ni/Meso-Y were higher than those of zeolites Meso-Hbeta and Meso-HZSM-5. Of the palm oil, 53% was converted into jet range alkane and 17% was converted into jet range aromatic hydrocarbons over Ni/Meso-Y. On one hand, palm oil was converted into C₁₅–C₁₈ alkanes through decarbonylation, which further cracked into C₈–C₁₄ alkanes or dehydrogenated into aromatic hydrocarbons through aromatization. On the other hand, palm oil directly cracked into C₈–C₁₄ alkanes over Ni/Meso-Y. Zeolite Ni/Meso-Y exhibited higher selectivity of jet range alkane (55.32%) and lower selectivity of jet range aromatic hydrocarbons (9.47%) than those of regenerated Ni/Meso-Y (36.18% and 22.66%, respectively).