Influence of the support on activity and stability of Ni and Ni-Mo catalysts in the hydroprocessing of fatty acids into motor fuels components

Ni/zeolite catalyst, as well as a series of modified molybdenum MoNi/zeolite catalysts (zeolite = ZSM-5, ZSM-23, MOR, Y) were investigated in the hydroprocessing of an undiluted fatty acid mixture in a batch reactor at a temperature of 350 °C and an initial hydrogen pressure of 60 bar. The highest conversion (70 %) of the fatty acid mixture was achieved over ZSM-5 supported catalytic system in 7 h. The fresh and spent catalytic systems were characterized by XRD, TEM, TPR-H2, TPD-NH3, CHNS. Influence of the support, and the modifier, on the catalytic activity, stability under reaction conditions, and selectivity to iso-alkanes were shown. Leaching of the active component from the surface of all catalysts was found. The largest amount of residual nickel was observed in catalysts based on ZSM-5 zeolite - ca.57 % of the initial metal content. Modification with molybdenum did not improve the stability of catalysts to metal leaching. [Display omitted] •Nickel leaching was observed for both Ni and Ni-Mo catalysts based on zeolites.•The share of H2 uptake higher 500 °C during TPR correlate with catalytic activity.•Ni/ZSM-5 and MoNi/ZSM-5 catalysts showed the best catalytic performance.