2025/11/14 by Xin Zhao, Jialin Yang, Bowen Chen +7
Engineering · #Biodiesel Production and Applications #Catalysis and Hydrodesulfurization Studies #Catalysis for Biomass Conversion
paper · doi:10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c04785
openalex created_date 2025/11/14 · openalex publication_date 2025/11/14 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Low-grade oil hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is a key route for sustainable fuel production. However, traditional transition metal catalysts suffer from poor activity and hydrothermal deactivation in aqueous acidic environments. Here, we developed a Ni/NiAl 2 O 4 @mSiO 2 catalyst by coating 4 nm mesoporous silica (mSiO 2 ) on Ni/NiAl 2 O 4 via soft templating, achieving synergistic optimization of activity and stability. At 250 °C and 3 MPa H 2, Ni/NiAl 2 O 4 @mSiO 2 matched the activity of Ni/NiAl 2 O 4, while its deactivation rate after 4 cycles (7.5%) was much lower than that of Ni/NiAl 2 O 4 (40%). It also exhibited broad applicability to eight fatty acids, delivering >96% alkane yield under optimized conditions. Characterization confirmed that the mSiO 2 layer preserved reactant diffusion/activation while enhancing mass transfer for stearic acid and preventing Ni/NiAl 2 O 4 sintering/metal leaching. This work provides critical insights for designing efficient catalysts in low-grade oil valorization.