Catalytic hydrothermal processing is a promising method for converting high-moisture lipid feedstocks into hydrocarbons and hydrogen. Under hydrothermal conditions, triglycerides rapidly hydrolyze to produce fatty acids and glycerol. In the presence of noble metal catalysts, fatty acids can be hydrogenated and subsequently deoxygenated (DOX) via decarboxylation/decarbonylation to produce linear alkanes, while glycerol can undergo aqueous phase reforming (APR) to produce hydrogen. The incorporation of secondary transition metals with Pt has been shown to significantly enhance glycerol APR; however, work has yet to explore bimetallic enhancement of DOX reactions involving fatty acids (both saturated and unsaturated) and the influence of system hydrogen level on catalyst performance. This study examines the DOX of fatty acids (stearic acid, oleic acid) with APR of glycerol under hydrothermal conditions (300� C, autogenous pressure) using Pt/C and Pt-Re/C catalysts. Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of Re incorporation, the influence of system hydrogen levels on fatty acid DOX, and the utilization of glycerol for in situ hydrogen production. Findings revealed that system hydrogen level greatly influences the fatty acid DOX reaction rate and pathway. The use of glycerol inhibits fatty acid DOX with Pt/C at 300� C, but enhances DOX yields with Pt-Re/C. Results with Pt-Re/C confirm that glycerol can be used to generate in situ hydrogen and avoid external hydrogen consumption.

Hydrothermal catalytic deoxygenation of fatty acids with in situ hydrogen production from glycerol using Pt/C and Pt-Re/C catalysts

246th National Meeting (2013)

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