Hydroprocessing of carinata oil for hydrocarbon biofuel over Mo-Zn/Al2O3

• Hydroprocessing of nonfood carinata oil over Mo-Zn/Al2O3 catalyst was carried out.
• The highest hydrocarbon selectivity of hydrocarbon biofuel produced was 81.05%.
• The combining of Mo and Zn on Al2O3 improved catalytic performance.
• Catalyst exhibiting the best catalytic performance had a Zn/Mo molar ratio of 2.
• H2, CO and light hydrocarbons produced might be reused.

Hydroprocessing of carinata oil over an Al2O3 supported Mo-Zn catalyst in a batch reactor at 350 °C with an initial H2 pressure of 300 psi was carried out to produce hydrocarbon biofuel. A series of Mo-Zn/Al2O3 catalysts with different Zn/Mo molar ratios (0, 1, 2, 3, ∞) were prepared and characterized using XRD, FT-IR, BET and TEM. The effects on the physicochemical properties and yield of products from using no catalyst and Al2O3 based catalysts were discussed. The introduction of Mo and/or Zn did not change the crystalline structure of Al2O3. The combining of Mo and Zn on Al2O3 improved catalytic performance and was helpful to improve some of the physicochemical properties of hydrocarbon biofuel including hydrocarbon content, moisture content, density, total acid number and higher heating value (HHV). The catalyst which exhibited the best catalytic performance had a Zn/Mo molar ratio of 2:1. At the 2:1 ratio of Zn/Mo, the hydrocarbon biofuel produced displayed the highest hydrocarbon content (81.05%) and the lowest moisture content, and the highest sum content of CO and CO2 in the gas produced. The introduction of Mo and Zn on Al2O3 was helpful for the hydroprocessing of carinata oil for hydrocarbon biofuel production.

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