Impact of Metal Catalysts and Supports on Catalytic Conversion of Soybean Oil to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil

Using lipid-based biomass for CO2 reduction through fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) is effective, but FAME has a high freezing point, limiting its blend ratio and making it unsuitable for aviation fuel. As a result, there is growing interest in biofuel production through the deoxygenation of lipid-based biomass. However, this process requires severe reaction conditions, emphasizing the need for advanced catalysts. This study investigates the catalytic conversion of soybean oil into hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), focusing on understanding the catalytic active sites involved in triglyceride conversion. We initially assessed the impact of various reductive metals (Pt, Ru, Ni) supported on activated carbon, finding that Ru provided a high hydrocarbon yield (57.0 wt%) at lower temperatures (250 ºC), though with significant cracking (56%). We then explored the effect of different supports (SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, activated carbon) by impregnating nickel (Ni) on these materials. Results showed that SiO2 and Al2O3 led to higher hydrocarbon yields of 83.5% and 78.4 wt%, respectively, compared to TiO2 (6.54 wt%) and activated carbon (3.33 wt%). These findings provide valuable insights into the key factors influencing catalytic activity in soybean oil conversion to HVO, contributing to more efficient and cost-effective biofuel production processes.