Hydrocracking of algae oil to aviation fuel-ranged hydrocarbons over NiMo-supported catalysts

Abstract An algae oil from Botryococcus braunii (C n H 2n–10 , n = 29–34) and its model compound (squalene, C 30 H 50 ) were hydrocracked to light hydrocarbons over NiMo-supported catalysts in batch reactors. Polyoxocation [AlO 4 Al 12 (OH) 24 (H 2 O) 12 ] 7+ -pillared montmorillonite (denoted by Al 13 -Mont) was prepared as a support for NiMo catalyst in the hydrocracking reaction. Al 13 -Mont had large micropores, large BET surface area, high temperature stability, and properly weak solid acidity. For the hydrocracking of squalene at 300 °C for 6 h under 4 MPa H 2 , NiMo/SiO 2 formed squalane (C 30 H 62 ) as a main product; NiMo/H-ZSM-5 formed C 1 −C 4 gas hydrocarbons as main products; NiMo/H-Y and NiMo/SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 formed C 5 −C 9 gasoline-ranged hydrocarbons as main products; NiMo/Al 13 -Mont formed C 10 −C 15 aviation fuel-ranged hydrocarbons as main products. The catalysts containing NiMo and solid acids acted as bifunctional catalysts in the squalene hydrocracking reaction: squalene (C 30 H 50 ) was firstly hydrogenated to squalane (C 30 H 62 ) on the NiMo sites, and then the formed squalane was cracked to light hydrocarbons on the solid acids. The NiMo/Al 13 -Mont catalyst achieved a C 10 −C 15 aviation fuel-ranged hydrocarbons yield of 52% for the hydrocracking of Botryococcus braunii oil at 300 °C for 6 h.