Production of aviation fuel via catalytic hydrothermal decarboxylation of fatty acids in microalgae oil

•Alkanes can be produced via decarboxylation of fatty acids in microalgae oil.•Pt/MWCNTs is capable for fatty acid decarboxylation with the selectivity up to 97%.•Pt/MWCNTs and reactant loading amounts, reaction temperature and time are optimized.•Rate constants and activation energy of stearic acid decarboxylation are obtained. A series of fatty acids in microalgae oil, such as stearic acid, palmitic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, arachidic acid and behenic acid, were selected as the raw materials to produce aviation fuel via hydrothermal decarboxylation over a multi-wall carbon nanotube supported Pt catalyst (Pt/MWCNTs). It was found that Pt/MWCNTs catalysts exhibited higher activity for the hydrothermal decarboxylation of stearic acid with a 97% selectivity toward heptadecane compared to Pt/C and Ru/C under the same conditions. And Pt/MWCNTs is also capable for the decarboxylation of different fatty acids in microalgae oil. The reaction conditions, such as Pt/MWCNTs loading amount, reaction temperature and time were optimized. The activation energy of stearic acid decarboxylation over Pt/MWCNTs was calculated (114kJ/mol).