Deoxygenation of oleic acid over Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O2 catalysts in hydrogen environment

Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O2 catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation method for deoxygenation (DO) of oleic acid. The CeO2/ZrO2 ratio was systematically varied to optimize Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O2 catalysts. Ce0.6Zr0.4O2 exhibited the highest oleic acid conversion as well as high selectivity to C-9 similar to C-17 compounds (diesel fuel range) at the reaction temperature of 300 degrees C. The high activity/selectivity of Ce0.6Zr0.4O2 catalyst was correlated to its reducibility, oxygen storage capacity and crystallite size. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.