Overview on the production of paraffin based-biofuels via catalytic hydrodeoxygenation

One of the challenging issues faced by the modern world is the scarcity of fossil fuels, a result of the increasing use of fuel for transportation. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an alternative fuel source that can replace non-renewable fossil fuels. The use of biomass-derived fuels in place of conventional fuels is an emerging field of interest, and studies are on-going to find a solution to avoid a future energy crisis. Hydrodeoxygenation, which converts biofeed to hydrocarbon fuels that have all the qualities of conventional fossil fuels, is one of the most interesting and promising techniques in this field. The hydrodeoxygenation of vegetable oils to biofuel is an area in development. In the present paper, an overview of the catalysts used for hydrodeoxygenation of various vegetable oils is presented. In addition, the nature of the catalysts and reaction conditions necessary for the desired activity and selectivity of the catalysts are included. The current state of the field, trends in production processes and a brief description of commonly used feedstocks are presented as well. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.