Synthesis of bio-jet fuel from coconut (Cocos nucifera) oil through hydrodeoxygenation using NiMoP/Al_2O_3 catalyst

摘要

The increasing of scarce of petroleum availability, unstable prices, and potential environmental damage due to the use of fossil fuel encourage the development of alternative fuels that can replace fossil fuels, including jet fuel. Bio-jet fuel is a renewable fuel that has similar characteristics to jet fuel. The potential raw material for bio-jet fuel production in Indonesia is coconut oil. The composition of fatty acids in coconut oil corresponds to the range of carbon atomic chain of jet fuel. Indonesia is also the country with the second-largest share of coconut oil exports in the world which shows that the use of coconut oil in Indonesia is very less. In this study, bio-jet fuel was synthesized from coconut oil through hydrodeoxygenation reaction to convert fatty acids to hydrocarbons by removing oxygen. The catalyst used in this reaction was NiMoP/Al_2O_3 catalyst. The hydrodeoxygenation reactions were carried out with variations of pressure and temperature, at pressures of 10, 15, and 20 bar, and temperatures of 375, 385, and 400°C. The reactions were stopped if they had reached equilibrium based on GC-TCD analysis of the gas product. The hydrodeoxygenation reaction at 400°C and 20 bar was able to produce high conversion (92.56%), much hydrocarbon content (91.91%), high selectivity and also yield of bio-jet fuel (82.93% and 54.34%). Liquid products were distilled to obtain jet fuel fraction products. From the results of the density, viscosity, acid number, heating value, and freezing point analysis of the bio-jet fuel distillate, good values were obtained.