Highly selective hydrodeoxygenation catalyst for sustainable aviation fuel production from used cooking oil

The production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) utilizing used cooking oil (UCO) as a renewable bio-waste resource holds immense potential for promoting sustainability in the aviation sector. In this study, SAF synthesis via hydrodeoxygenation of pretreated UCO over Ni-Mo/alumina-silica catalysts followed up hydroisomerization of deoxygenated oil has been investigated in a fixed-bed reactor. The effect of Al2O3/SiO2 ratio on the physico-chemical properties of Al2O3-SiO2 support and on the overall hydrodeoxygenation performance of the Ni-Mo catalyst supported on Al2O3-SiO2 has been investigated. NiMo catalyst supported on Al2O3-SiO2 in a 70:30 ratio achieved 86.69 % UCO conversion during the hydrodeoxygenation step and exhibited 74.79 % jet range hydrocarbon fuel selectivity under mild conditions (350 degrees C, 1.1 h(-1) WHSV, 6 MPa, H-2/oil (v/v): 400). The catalyst activity remained stable for >100 hours highlighting its good stability under the experimental conditions investigated. This work demonstrates the potential of tailor-made supported catalysts for highly selective single-step conversion of UCO into jet-range hydrocarbons, offering a significant step towards the production of sustainable aviation fuels.