Development of Pd-supported Catalysts for the Conversion of Palm Oil to Biohydrogenated Diesel in a Microscale-based Reactor

Y. Sa-ngasaeng, R. Nernrimnong, N. Sirimungkalakul, G. Jovanovic and S. Jongpatiwut

Abstract
In this research, the preparation of Pd-supported catalysts in microreactor was investigated for the production of renewable biohydrogenated diesel (BHD). Pd/Al2O3 and Pd/TiO2 catalysts were prepared by two different coating methods, slurry suspension (SUS), and sol-gel method (SG). Catalysts were coated on microreactor walls and tested for the deoxygenation of palm oil to BHD at 325 ºC, 3.4 MPa, H2/feed molar ratio of 96. The coated catalysts were characterized by several techniques, including 3D-optical profiler, SEM-EDX, XRD, BET, and adhesion test. The experimental results show that SUS method provided a homogeneous catalyst layer, while the SG method gave a non-homogeneous cracked coating. In terms of catalytic activity, Pd/TiO2 (SG) exhibited the highest space-time yield (STY) of BHD (g BHD g–1 catalyst h–1), which could be due to its unique characteristics of pure anatase phase and strong metal-support interaction for hydrogen spillover mechanism.

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Keywords
deoxygenation, catalyst coating, biohydrogenated diesel, microscale-based reactor