Bio-oil, the low-cost liquid fuel derived from fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, has attracted considerable attention as a replacement for fossil fuels. However, it consists of a complex mixture of acids, aldehdyes, ketones, furans, phenols, aromatics, and other oxygenated compounds, resulting in undesired fuel properties, such as high acidity, high viscosity, poor heating value, and poor stability. Hence, the elimination of O-containing functional groups is a crucial step in bio-oil upgrading. Usually, hydrodeoxygenation of bio-oil can be carried out using classic sulfided CoMo- or NiMo-based catalysts, although catalyst deactivation is a major problem due to the lack of sulfur-containing compound in bio-oils. In the present contribution, we have systematically explored the deoxygenation of guaiacol as a model reaction for bio-oil upgrading over a series of carbon supported catalysts, including group VIII and non-sulfided Mo-based catalysts, to determine their catalytic potential in terms of activity and selectivity for bio-oil upgrading.

Bio-oil upgrading: Hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol over carbon supported catalysts

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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