Efficient hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived bio-oil to hydrocarbon fuels over bifunctional RuCoWx/NC catalysts

• Bifunctional CoRuW 0.03 /NC catalyst was facilely prepared by in situ pyrolysis. • Hydrodeoxygenation of 4-propylguaiacol over CoRuW 0.03 /NC afforded 71.3% propylcyclohexane at 220 ℃. • 98.3% hydrocrbons were achieved from lignin-derived bio-oil over CoRuW 0.03 /NC at 280 ℃. • CoRuW 0.03 /NC shows good reusability after four cycles. Efficient hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived bio-oils to cycloalkanes was achieved over bifunctional RuCoW x /NC catalyst prepared by in situ pyrolysis method. The performance of RuCoW x /NC was investigated in HDO of 4-propylguaiacol, considering the influences of catalysts, initial H 2 pressure, and reaction temperature. Catalyst screening reveals that RuCoW 0.03 /NC afforded the highest propylcyclohexane yield of 71.3% from 4-propylguaiacol at 220 ℃. At 240 ℃, the yield of propylcyclohexane increased to 95.2 %. The heavy fraction of rice husk bio-oil, primarily composed of lignin-derived phenolic compounds, could be upgraded to 98.3% hydrocarbons at 280 ℃ over RuCoW 0.03 /NC. The synergistic interaction between highly dispersed Co and Ru metal sites and WO x acidic sites is responsible for the excellent HDO activity of RuCoW 0.03 /NC. Besides, RuCoW 0.03 /NC exhibited high stability after four cycles.