Novel MoP catalyst supported on activated carbon derived from pyrolyzed heavy fuel oil for converting palm oil to jet fuel oil via hydrodeoxygenation

Molybdenum phosphide supported on activated carbon (MoP-AC) catalysts were successfully prepared from pyrolyzed heavy fuel oil (HFO) as a novel catalyst for hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of palm oil to produce jet fuel oil. A facile preparation of activated carbon (AC) support was conducted via pyrolysis of HFO in temperatures range of 400 to 700°C and activation with designated ratios of KOH to C (0.5-2.0:1.0). Typical AC samples with a large surface area of 1527.4 m 2 /g were successfully synthesized using KOH to C ratio of 1:1 at 700°C. Then, MoP-AC catalysts were synthesized by wet impregnation with MoP loading of 5 – 20 wt%. SEM and TEM analyses revealed that MoP nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on surface of MoP-AC with MoP loading of 5 wt%. An increase in MoP loading resulted in agglomeration of MoP nanoparticles. The key finding is that MoP-AC catalyst with 5 wt% loading exhibited 100% palm oil conversion with a liquid hydrocarbon yield of 54% at a temperature of 420°C. As desirable products, 90.4% jet fuel oil and 9.6% diesel oil was achieved. Furthermore, the short-term stability of MoP-AC catalysts with 24-hr on-stream operation was confirmed with the catalyst performance of 100% palm oil conversion and 89.2 % jet fuel oil selectivity. These results highlight a promising route for turning HFO, a byproduct of crude oil refining, into an alternative carbon-based catalyst support for producing renewable jet fuel.