Herein we investigated the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of aqueous phase pinyon-juniper catalytic pyrolysis oil (APPJCPO) using a new multifunctional red mud-supported nickel (Ni/RM) catalyst. The organic liquid yield after HDO of APPJCPO using 30 wt. % Ni/RM at reaction temperature of 350 Ā°C was 47.8 wt. % with oxygen content of 1.14 wt. %. The organic liquid fraction consisted of aliphatics, aromatics, and alkylated aromatic hydrocarbons as well as small amounts of oxygenates. The RM support catalyzed ketonization of carboxylic acids. The Ni metal catalyzed partial reduction of oxygenates that underwent carbonyl alkylation with aldehydes and ketones on the RM. Catalyst deactivation assessment suggested that oxidation and coke formation were the main controlling factors for deactivation of Ni and RM respectively. For comparison, commercial (~65wt.%) Ni/SiO2-Al2O3 was tested in HDO experiments which gasified the soluble organics in APPJCPO and did not produce liquid hydrocarbons.
Keywords:Hydrodeoxygenation, pyrolysis, red mud, nickel catalysts, catalyst deactivation, bio-oils and upgrading of bio-oil and showed promise. [8][9][10] These studies showed that the challenge with hydrogenation of water-soluble fraction of bio-oil is to minimize the H2 consumption and carbon loss, while achieving high selectivity of the desired products. The current bio-oil HDO state of the art indicates that there is a wide range of products formed and that the associated catalytic chemistry needs to be understood in more detail. [7][8][9][10][11] The structure of three major polymeric components, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, are well-represented by the bio-oil components in the case of lignocellulosic biomass-derived pyrolysis oil. HDO is usually the preferred method among upgrading processes since it can produce high quality fuels. HDO can improve pyrolysis oil quality through improving oil stability and higher energy density. 12 HDO of the bio-oil involves four major classes of reactions (1) hydrogenation of C-O, C=O, and C=C bonds, (2) dehydration of C-OH groups, (3) C-C bond cleavage by retro-aldol condensation and decarbonylation, and (4) hydrogenolysis of C-O-C bonds. 1,13,14 In most HDO studies, guaiacol (representing the large number of mono-and dimethoxy phenols), 15-17 furfural (representing a major pyrolysis product group from cellulosics), 18-22 and acetic acid (representing a major product from hemicellulose) [23][24][25] have been studied as model compounds of bio-oil. 26,27 These studies indicated that catalyst deactivation is a major challenge during HDO of bio-oil. One of the catalyst deactivation mechanisms that occur during HDO of bio-oil is carbon deposition on the catalyst surface. This deactivation represents a major limit of this technology because the catalyst has to be frequently regenerated. One approach that has been reported is to develop HDO catalysts that have low acidity and hence a lower rate of coke formation. 1,13 The synthesis of an efficient catalyst can play a crucial role in HDO process. 28...