Stabilizing Catalytic Pathways via Redundancy: Selective Reduction of Microalgae Oil to Alkanes

A new route to convert crude microalgae oils using ZrO2-promoted Ni catalysts into diesel-range alkanes in a cascade reaction is presented. Ni nanoparticles catalyze the selective cleavage of the C-O of fatty acid esters, leading to the hydrogenolysis of triglycerides. Hydrogenation of the resulting fatty acids to aldehydes (rate-determining step) is uniquely catalyzed via two parallel pathways, one via aldehyde formation on metallic Ni and the second via a synergistic action by Ni and ZrO2 through adsorbing the carboxylic groups at the oxygen vacancies of ZrO2 to form carboxylates and subsequently abstracting the alpha-hydrogen atom to produce ketene, which is in turn hydrogenated to aldehydes and decarbonylated on Ni nanoparticles.     «

A new route to convert crude microalgae oils using ZrO2-promoted Ni catalysts into diesel-range alkanes in a cascade reaction is presented. Ni nanoparticles catalyze the selective cleavage of the C-O of fatty acid esters, leading to the hydrogenolysis of triglycerides. Hydrogenation of the resulting fatty acids to aldehydes (rate-determining step) is uniquely catalyzed via two parallel pathways, one via aldehyde formation on metallic Ni and the second via a synergistic action by Ni and ZrO2 thro...     »

ISI Document Delivery No.: 952ZZ Times Cited: 6 Cited Reference Count: 18 Peng, Baoxiang Yuan, Xiaoguo Zhao, Chen Lercher, Johannes A. Kang, Zhai/G-8010-2012 EADS Deutschland GmbH; Technische Universitat Munchen of European Graduate School for Sustainable Energy We appreciate the partial financial support from EADS Deutschland GmbH. The work is also partially supported by Technische Universitat Munchen in the framework of European Graduate School for Sustainable Energy. 6 Amer chemical soc Washington     «

ISI Document Delivery No.: 952ZZ Times Cited: 6 Cited Reference Count: 18 Peng, Baoxiang Yuan, Xiaoguo Zhao, Chen Lercher, Johannes A. Kang, Zhai/G-8010-2012 EADS Deutschland GmbH; Technische Universitat Munchen of European Graduate School for Sustainable Energy We appreciate the partial financial support from EADS Deutschland GmbH. The work is also partially supported by Technische Universitat Munchen in the framework of European Graduate School for Sustainable Energy. 6 Amer chemical soc Wash...     »