Heterogeneous Cracking of an Unsaturated Fatty Acid and Reaction Intermediates on H⁺ZSM‐5 Catalyst

Abstract

Abstract Production of transportation fuels from renewable resources has been mostly ethanol and biodiesel. To alleviate some of the by‐product generation and distribution issues associated with biodiesel, this paper describes the production of transportation fuel using catalytic cracking. Oleic acid was used as a model compound. It was reacted at 400°C on H + ZSM‐5 catalyst in an attempt to determine the reaction steps involved in the catalytic transformation of an unsaturated fatty acid into green fuels. The reaction products were identified using GC/MS and quantitated using GC thermal conductivity detector analysis. Selected products of the oleic acid cracking were reacted separately in an effort to elucidate the reaction pathway for producing green fuel related compounds. The results showed that a wide range of products, including paraffins, olefins, and aromatic compounds, were produced on the highly acidic, shape‐selective catalyst. These results contribute to the realization of using lipid feedstocks for transportation fuels.