Synthesis of polycyclic hydrocarbon high-density aviation fuel via one-pot alkyation/hydrogenation by acetic acid modified HY-20 and Pd/C

High-density aviation fuel is a kind of liquid propellant that is widely used in the aerospace industry, with significant applications in both civil and military fields. In the study, a series of polycyclic hydrocarbon high-density aviation fuel were synthesized via a one-pot reaction of alkylation/hydrogenation using aromatic hydrocarbon compounds derived from biomass or plastic waste. Firstly, the alkylation of m -xylene and norbornene was investigated using six types of molecular sieves as catalysts, and HY-20 was found to exhibit the best catalytic performance, achieving an alkylation yield of 61%. Further, the effect of organic acid modification on the catalytic activity of HY-20 was also studied. It was found that HY-20 (AA, 0.25), after 0.25 mol·L -1 acetic acid modification, exhibited the highest activity in catalytic performance. NH 3 -TPD and Py-IR indicated that HY-20 (AA, 0.25) possessed the highest proportion of strong acid sites and B/L ratio, which was beneficial for improving the catalytic efficiency of alkylation. Finally, the one-pot reaction of alkylation/hydrogenation was achieved using a mixed catalyst of HY-20 (AA, 0.25) and commercial Pd/C. Substrate expansion indicated that the catalytic system exhibited good catalytic performance toward a series of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. The synthesized fuel has a high density (0.967 g·mL -1 ), a high volumetric net heat of combustion (40.99 MJ·L -1 ), and an extremely low freezing point (< -80 °C), which were better than those of JP-10. This work provided an efficient and practical strategy for the synthesis of polycyclic hydrocarbon high-density aviation fuel from simple raw materials. A polycyclic hydrocarbon high-density fuel (density: 0.967 g·mL -1 , volumetric NHOC: 40.99 MJ·L -1 , freezing point < -80 °C) was synthesized via a one-pot alkylation/hydrogenation from biomass-derived aromatic hydrocarbon compounds and petroleum-derived norbornene, catalyzed by a mixed catalyst of HY-20 (AA, 0.25) and Pd/C. NH 3 -TPD and Py-IR indicated that HY-20 (AA, 0.25), obtained by modification with 0.25 mol·L -1 acetic acid, possessed the highest proportion of strong acid sites and the highest B/L ratio, thereby enhancing the catalytic efficiency. • The catalyst of HY-20 (AA, 0.25), modified by 0.25 mol·L -1 HAc, exhibited the best performance in alkylation reaction of m -xylene and norbornene. • NH 3 -TPD and Py-IR indicated that HY-20 (AA, 0.25) possessed the highest proportion of strong acid sites and B/L ratio, which was beneficial for alkylation reaction. • A series of high-density aviation fuels were synthesized via a one-pot alkylation/hydrogenation reaction of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds and norbornene using a mixed catalyst of HY-20 (AA, 0.25) and commercial Pd/C, and the synthesized fuel has the excellent properties (0.967 g·mL -1 , 40.99 MJ·L -1 , < -80 °C).