Catalytic Deoxygenation of Lipids for Bio-Jet Fuel: Advances in Catalyst Design and Reaction Pathways

To address global climate change and the energy crisis, there is an urgent need to meet human demands through utilizing renewable energy sources. The deoxygenation of lipids to produce liquid biofuels has emerged as a promising alternative, particularly for carbon emission reduction in the aviation industry. This review critically examines recent progress in catalyst development and reaction control strategies for lipid deoxygenation. Emphasis is focused on the design of different kinds of catalysts to meet the requirements, including noble metal catalysts, non-noble metal catalysts, and non-noble metal compound catalysts, with strategies such as morphology control, utilization of metal support interactions, and constructing synergistic effects between metal acid centers and metal oxygen vacancies. The reaction networks, mechanisms, and selectivity control strategies for lipid deoxygenation, cracking, isomerization, and aromatization are comprehensively discussed. Finally, we propose that it requires focusing on the precise regulation of multiple active sites to optimizing deoxygenation performance and reusability. It is essential to integrate in situ characterization to deepen the study of structure–active relationships and explore the reaction mechanisms within complex reaction systems.