Engineered $\mathrm{Ru}$ on $\mathrm{HY}$ zeolite catalyst for continuous and selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin phenolics to cycloalkanes under moderate conditions

Adarsh Kumar, Fnu; Kumar, Abhishek; Santosa, Daniel M.; Wang, Huamin; Zuo, Peng; Wang, Chongmin; Mittal, Ashutosh; Gieleciak, Rafal; Klein, Darryl P.; Manto, Michael; Yang, Bin

doi:10.1016/j.apcata.2024.119649

DOE OSTI · 2322501

Engineered $\mathrm{Ru}$ on $\mathrm{HY}$ zeolite catalyst for continuous and selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin phenolics to cycloalkanes under moderate conditions

Adarsh Kumar, Fnu·Kumar, Abhishek·Santosa, Daniel M.·Wang, Huamin·Zuo, Peng·Wang, Chongmin·Mittal, Ashutosh·Gieleciak, Rafal·Klein, Darryl P.·Manto, Michael·Yang, Bin

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Abstract

Here we report a continuous selective hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process of guaiacol conversion to cycloalkanes under 180 °C/1 MPa, which results in improved HDO chemistry for lignin-based jet fuel production. The incipient wetness impregnation method was modified to prepare an HY zeolite-supported Ru catalyst with better metal dispersion and acid site uniformity, which overcomes the low conversion and selectivity of previous literature. The modified catalyst (Ru-HY-60-MI) was tested in a continuous fixed bed reactor, resulting in increased HDO conversion of guaiacol to cycloalkanes compared to the unmodified catalyst. Pressure, temperature, and weight hourly space velocity-dependent tests validate guaiacol HDO over Ru-HY-60-MI catalyzed ring hydrogenation of guaiacol to 2-methoxycyclohexanol, acid-catalyzed demethoxylation and dehydration to cyclohexene, and further hydrogenation of cyclohexene to cyclohexane. These experiments enable exploring a continuous HDO process, demonstrate effectiveness for other ß-ß and a-O-4 lignin representatives and real lignin bio-oil, and pave the way towards commercialization of lignin-based jet fuel

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY continuous hydrodeoxygenation cycloalkanes engineered catalyst lignin bio-oil moderate conditions sustainable biorefinery

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Adarsh Kumar, Fnu, Kumar, Abhishek, Santosa, Daniel M., Wang, Huamin, Zuo, Peng, Wang, Chongmin, Mittal, Ashutosh, Gieleciak, Rafal, Klein, Darryl P., Manto, Michael, Yang, Bin. 2024-03-01. Engineered $\mathrm{Ru}$ on $\mathrm{HY}$ zeolite catalyst for continuous and selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin phenolics to cycloalkanes under moderate conditions. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2024.119649

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