Catalytic upgrading of pyrolytic bio-oil from Salicornia bigelovii seeds for use as jet fuels: Exploring the ex-situ deoxygenation capabilities of Ni/Ze catalyst

With the depleting resources of conventional biomass, there is a rising and imminent need to exploit halophytes. Ni catalyst supported by the highly acidic nanocrystalline Hβ-zeolite was used to explore its hydrodeoxygenation capabilities on the pyrolytic bio-oil from Salicornia bigelovii (SB) at temperatures between 200 and 500 °C. The fatty acid and lignin composition of SB seeds was utilized by virtue of ex-situ catalysis which resulted in the yield of iso- and straight-chain alkanes in the jet fuel-hydrocarbon-range and succeeded in meeting the oxygen limits for both civilian and military aviation fuel specifications. Moreover, the catalytically upgraded product consisted of sufficient mono-aromatics such as toluene, xylene and benzene derivatives falling within the optimal aromatic jet-fuel-specifications. Lastly, it was also recommended that this study could be extended to other halophytes as well for contributing to the global vision of sustainability, which aims to utilize biomass in producing ‘drop-in’ transportation fuels.