Physicochemical effect of Pt nanoparticles/γ‐Al₂O₃ on the oleic acid hydrodeoxygenation to biofuel

Abstract

Pt/γ‐Al 2 O 3 materials with different metal loading were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method and tested as catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) at 320 and 340°C with 4 and 5 h of reaction time. Oleic acid was used as model molecule in HDO process for biodiesel production, since this acid is in high proportion in waste vegetable oils used in food and agro‐industrial processes. Increasing the Pt‐nanoparticles (Pt‐NPs) content influences on obtaining higher yields of n‐C 17 at optimal conditions of 335°C for 4.86 h of reaction and 4 nm of nanoparticle size, statistically determined. Yields of alkanes were theoretically optimized and using regression models for obtaining response surfaces with size (S) and distribution (V) of Pt‐NPs as additional factors to temperature and reaction time. Interestingly, The Pt‐nanoparticles parameters had a higher interaction with the rest of the other parameters for the n‐C 17 yield, suggested by a statistical P value less than 0.05. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 36: 1224–1233, 2017