Efficient hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived bio-oil to hydrocarbon fuels over bifunctional RuCoWx/NC catalysts

[Display omitted] •Bifunctional CoRuW0.03/NC catalyst was facilely prepared by in situ pyrolysis.•Hydrodeoxygenation of 4-propylguaiacol over CoRuW0.03/NC afforded 71.3% propylcyclohexane at 220 ℃.•98.3% hydrocrbons were achieved from lignin-derived bio-oil over CoRuW0.03/NC at 280 ℃.•CoRuW0.03/NC shows good reusability after four cycles. Efficient hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived bio-oils to cycloalkanes was achieved over bifunctional RuCoWx/NC catalyst prepared by in situ pyrolysis method. The performance of RuCoWx/NC was investigated in HDO of 4-propylguaiacol, considering the influences of catalysts, initial H2 pressure, and reaction temperature. Catalyst screening reveals that RuCoW0.03/NC afforded the highest propylcyclohexane yield of 71.3% from 4-propylguaiacol at 220 ℃. At 240 ℃, the yield of propylcyclohexane increased to 95.2 %. The heavy fraction of rice husk bio-oil, primarily composed of lignin-derived phenolic compounds, could be upgraded to 98.3% hydrocarbons at 280 ℃ over RuCoW0.03/NC. The synergistic interaction between highly dispersed Co and Ru metal sites and WOx acidic sites is responsible for the excellent HDO activity of RuCoW0.03/NC. Besides, RuCoW0.03/NC exhibited high stability after four cycles.