Production of liquid hydrocarbons from millet husk via catalytic hydrodeoxygenation in NIO/al 2 O 3 catalysts

Abstract

A number of viable options are being explored for the production of energy to meet growing global energy demand. The research investigated the conversion of millet husk to liquid hydrocarbons. Furfural was produced from millet husk via a single-stage process that involved simultaneous hydrolysis and dehydration processes, and was subsequently converted to straight-chain hydrocarbons through aldol condensation and hydrodeoxygenation reactions. The hydrodeoxygenation of the aldol condensation product over NiO/Al2O3 (493 K, 30 bar and reaction time of 1 hour) yielded liquid hydrocarbons with the selectivity of 77.5%. The results indicate that millet husk could be a good substrate for furfural production, and could be a source of fuels and chemicals for industries.