A novel catalyst with variable active sites for the direct hydrogenation of waste oils into jet fuel

• Published in: Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Environmental, 2020-01, Vol.260, p.118114, Article 118114
• Main Authors: Li, Ming, Fu, Junying, Xing, Shiyou, Yang, Lingmei, Zhang, Xufeng, Lv, Pengmei, Wang, Zhongming, Yuan, Zhenhong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acid sites; Alkenes; Aromatic compounds; Catalysts; Catalytic converters; Cracking (chemical engineering); Hydrogenation; Jet engine fuels; Jet fuel; Lewis acid; Lithium ion exchange; Metal centres; Nickel; Nickel oxides; Oils & fats; Oleic acid; Paraffins; Propylene; ZSM-5
• ISSN: 0926-3373; 1873-3883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2019.118114

[Display omitted] •The active sites of NiO-LiZSM-5 could be regulated by the reaction progress.•Nickel oxide particles as strong Lewis acid sites enhanced the production of olefins.•Waste oils with different acid values could be converted into jet fuel efficiently via NiO-LiZSM-5. A series of novel NiO-LiZSM-5 catalysts with variable active sites was prepared to enhance the hydrogenation of waste oils into jet fuel components (C8-C16) by producing more olefins. In the early stage of the reaction, nickel oxide particles, as strong Lewis acid sites, promoted the cracking process of long-chain olefins into propylene and ethylene, which are the precursors of aromatics and iso-paraffins. As the reaction progressed, the nickel oxide was gradually reduced to nickel by H2 in the system, and the strong Lewis acid sites were transformed into metal centres, which enhanced the hydrogenation performance of the catalyst. The jet fuel components converted from oleic acid by the catalyst could reach 80.42 mol%, which was approximately 10 mol% greater than that of the traditional Ni-ZSM-5 catalyst. Furthermore, four waste oils were efficiently converted into jet fuel by this catalytic system, the most effective content of jet fuel reached 91.7 mol%.