NiMo carbide supported on algal derived activated carbon for hydrodeoxygenation of algal biocrude oil

•HDO of algal biocrude oil over novel NiMo hydrochar-based catalysts were studied.•NiMoC/AC synthesized using co-impregnation and CR method, showed higher activity.•Based on RSM, Catalyst loading was the most significant factor in HDO reactions.•The maximum oxygen removal of 94% was achieved using NiMoC/AC. The use of novel algae-derived activated carbon supported NiMo carbide catalysts for upgrading algal biocrude oil by hydrodeoxygenation was investigated. The carbide catalysts were prepared in a two-step process involving sequential impregnation or co-impregnation of NiMo on activated carbon and followed by carbonization through three different methods namely temperature-programmed reaction with 20%CH4-80%H2, carbothermal hydrogen reduction in H2, and carbothermal reduction in N2. The synthesized carbide catalysts were characterized using XRD, BET, TPD-NH3, TGA, and XPS techniques. The catalysts were screened for hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of algal biocrude at various process conditions in a stirred tank reactor to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuels. The liquid hydrocarbon product was analyzed by 1HNMR, 13CNMR, Sim-dist, CHNS, and GC–MS to gain insight into algal biofuel properties. The NiMo carbide synthesized through co-impregnation and carbothermal reduction in N2 showed optimal activity for oxygen removal due to its high acidity and specific surface area and a greater amount of Mo2C as active phases on the surface. Response surface methodology was applied for NiMoC catalyst to optimize the effects of temperature (350–450 °C), catalyst loadings (5–15 wt%), and reaction time (1.5–4 h) at a constant pressure of 3 MPa. The upgraded biocrude oil revealed an oxygen reduction percentage of 94% with HHV of 43.9 MJ/kg.