Lignocellulosic and waste from the food industry offers a sustainable way to produce alternative transportation fuel and provide fiber and biomaterial. Thermochemical processes can depolymerize lignin into its phenolic monomers which can be upgraded to aromatic hydrocarbons. Fatty acids from food wastes have functional groups to accommodate selective synthesis of chemicals. These characteristics could be utilized as sustainable high-value additive products for fuels and lubricating oils. In the present study, an effective lubricity additive was synthesized via continuous alkylation of fatty acid methyl esters with aromatic hydrocarbons. A continuous fixed-bed reactor operated at atmospheric pressures was used. Acid-treated montmorillonite and H-ZSM5 were used as catalysts. The effects of the various catalysts on the liquid product composition were investigated while keeping other reaction conditions constant. An improved catalytic activity was achieved in montmorillonite catalyst compared to H-ZSM5 catalysts. The alkylation of fatty acid methyl esters with aromatic hydrocarbons over montmorillonite and alumina-supported Ni catalysts occurred at 200-210 °C.

Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of biooil is instrumental in producing sustainable aviation fuels, specifically cycloalkanes, from lignocellulosic materials. Cycloalkanes typically have higher energy densities, lower freeze points and higher flash points than conventional jet fuel. In our study, we compared hydrodeoxygenation of p-cresol using Pd/C and tandem hydrogenation-dehydration using Pd/C for hydrogenation and heteropolyacid on alumina catalyst for dehydration. All of the hydrodeoxygenation and hydrogenation trials were ran at 250°C and 600 psi of hydrogen gas while dehydration to cycloalkenes were conducted at 250°C and 50 psi of argon gas. Hydrodeoxygenation produced less than 20% mol of cyclic hydrocarbons while tandem hydrogenation-dehydration presented an overall yield nearing to 60% mol. Results from the gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis suggested isomerization of cyclohexene to metylcyclopentene occurred in runs utilizing heteropolyacid on alumina catalyst.