Hydrodeoxygenation of Fatty Acid Esters over Nitrogen-Functionalized Bimetallic Oxides Catalyst

Hydrodeoxygenation of vegetable oils and fats is an effective method for the production of high-quality hydrocarbon fuels. Herein, a series of metallic oxides supported on SAPO-11 were developed for the hydrodeoxygenation of methyl palmitate or palm oil to hydrocarbon fuels under mild conditions. The nitrogen-functionalized bimetallic oxide catalyst (NiO–MoO3@N/SAPO-11) exhibited the highest catalytic activity, obtaining methyl palmitate and palm oil conversion close to 100% and aviation fuel selectivity of 93.14% at 280 °C. In the hydroprocessing of methyl palmitate, the metal Ni and oxygen vacancies produced in situ by partial reduction play an indispensable role in the activation of hydrogen and the adsorption of oxygen-containing functional groups. Moreover, pyridinic-N was introduced to the NiO–MoO3@N/SAPO-11 catalyst, producing a high selectivity for the decarboxylation in the hydroprocessing of methyl palmitate.