Hydrotreating of Palm Oil into Bio Jet Fuel through a One-Step Process over Nb Doping Pt/AlSiO-Nb Catalyst

The hydrotreatment of fats and oils for biofuel synthesis significantly contributes to carbon emission mitigation. Conventionally, this process necessitates a bifurcated pathway encompassing hydrodeoxygenation (HDO)/decarboxylation (DCO) and subsequent isomerization reactions. In this research, we synthesized a niobium-doped bifunctional catalyst, denoted as Pt/AlSiO-Nb, capable of concurrently executing HDO and isomerization of palm oil. Our examination of the palm oil hydrotreatment network, with palm acid and tripalmitin as representative model compounds, revealed that the oil undergoes hydrolysis to form fatty acids and then undergoes deoxygenation to n-alkanes via HDO or DCO routes, succeeded by n-alkane isomerization, where cracking reactions also transpire. Comprehensive characterizations of the catalyst delineated that niobium incorporation markedly augments the support–platinum interaction and proliferates the catalyst's medium and weak acid sites, culminating in enhanced HDO and isomerization performance. These insights herald a novel methodology for biofuel generation from fats and oils, offering a streamlined approach to their catalytic transformation.