Synthesis of jet fuel rang cycloalkane from isophorone with glycerol as a renewable hydrogen source

Abstract For the first time, 1,​1,​3-​trimethyl-cyclohexane (a jet fuel range cycloalkane) was synthesized by coupling the aqueous phase reforming (APR) of glycerol and the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of isophorone which can be obtained from lignocellulose. Among the investigated catalysts, Pt/Al 2 O 3 was found to be the most active for the production of 1,​1,​3-​trimethyl-cyclohexane with the hydrogen which was in-situ generated by the APR of glycerol. Over it, high carbon yield (67.0%) of 1,​1,​3-​trimethyl-cyclohexane can be achieved at 533 K in the absence of external hydrogen. The excellent performance of Pt/Al 2 O 3 catalyst can be explained because Pt is highly active for both APR and HDO reactions. Besides glycerol, many other lignocellulose derived polylols (such as ethylene glycol, xylitol and sorbitol) and methanol can also be used as renewable hydrogen source for the HDO of isophorone. As a potential application, the 1,​1,​3-​trimethyl-cyclohexane as obtained can be blended into the conventional jet fuels to improve their volumetric heat values.