Heterogeneous Catalysts for Advanced Biofuel Production

Abstract

The triglyceride-based feedstocks and biomass derivatives have been considered promising resources for production of advanced biofuels, namely, green diesel and biojet fuels. Among the series of deoxygenation reactions, hydrodeoxygenation is a majority in the green diesel production when utilizing the group of metal sulfides catalysts, namely, MoS2 with various doping elements. Moreover, decarbonylation is predominant over sulfur-free catalysts including noble metals, e.g., Pd and Pt, and non-precious transition metal, e.g., Ni. The decarboxylation is an interesting pathway due to unconsumed H2 reaction mechanism. As for biojet fuels, the composite of metal/metal sulfides with strong solid acids are promising approaches to catalyze hydroisomerization and cracking reactions of the straight-chain alkanes into the branch ones with proper carbon atoms. Alternatively, the alumina- and zeolite-supported metal catalysts have been extensively developed for the conversion of biomass derivatives into biojet fuels, fuel additives, and biochemical platforms. The research, development, and engineering of novel heterogeneous catalysts could be a key factor for commercialization and strong establishment of the biorefinery and biofuel industries.