Catalytic upgrading of vegetable oils into jet fuels range hydrocarbons using heterogeneous catalysts: A review

The production of high grade jet fuels from vegetable oils is an issue of special interest to refineries. The conversion process involved hydrotreating (i.e. hydrodeoxygenation and hydrodecarboxylation) of the oils followed by subsequent hydroisomerization. The paper reviewed recent literature on the role of heterogeneous catalysts in the various processes. Catalysts based on Ni and Mo supported on oxides are considered very active for the hydrotreating process whereas Pd and Pt supported on zeolites as the main hydroisomerization catalysts. However, further studies are still required on the role of catalyst topology, reaction mechanisms and the strategies for mitigating catalyst deactivation. (C) 2015 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.