MoO3-based catalysts supported on SiO2 and their performance in hydrodeoxygenation

•New series of MoO3 catalysts supported on SiO2 were synthesized.•The catalysts were tested in the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of palmitic acid.•Citric acid used for the preparation of MoO3 catalysts results in superior catalytic materials.•XPS measurements showed that oxidation states of the Mo species play a crucial role in their catalytic performance. A series of MoO3 catalysts supported on SiO2 were prepared. The aim of this work is to understand the factors that determine their catalytic performance in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of fatty acids. The impregnation of Mo species was carried out by using citric acid (CA) or malonic acid (MA) in aqueous solutions. The use of organic acids resulted in changing the oxidation states of Mo in the materials. The performance of the catalyst prepared with CA was the best in this series. We found that oxidation states of Mo species play a major role in the HDO of palmitic acid.