Advancing Sustainable Aviation: Bimetallic Co-Mo Catalysts for Bio-Jet Fuel Production from Sunflower and Waste Cooking Oils

Co and Mo mono- and bimetallic catalysts supported on CNT-H-ZSM-5 composites were prepared and characterized using various techniques. The catalysts were evaluated for the conversion of sunflower oil (SO) into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) hydrocarbons in the C8–C16 range. The effects of reduction temperature and metal loading were the main parameters investigated in this study. The catalyst reduced at 600 °C promoted the formation of Mo2C species, resulting in high SO conversion (84%), complete deoxygenation, and enhanced isomerization within the C8–C16 fraction. Optimal metal loadings (2.5 wt% Co and 8 wt% Mo) and the bimetallic configuration led to superior performance compared with monometallic catalysts and physical mixtures, clearly highlighting a synergistic effect between Co and Mo species. In contrast, when waste cooking oil was used as feedstock, lower conversion and reduced selectivity toward SAF-range hydrocarbons were observed, which were attributed to the higher complexity and impurity content of this residue feedstock.