Synthesis of ultra-low freezing point alkane by self-aldol condensation of n-butyraldehyde over MgO-SiO2 catalyst followed by hydrodeoxygenation over Pd/C and HZSM-5 catalyst

Abstract

Production of jet fuel is not only promising but challenging in the field of biomass utilization. Here we proposed a novel route to produce highly branched alkanes with ultra-low freezing point using n-butyraldehyde as feedstock by self-aldol condensation and subsequent hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). The catalyst characterization revealed that the MgO-SiO₂ catalyst played an acid-base synergetic effect role in the self-aldol condensation of n-butyraldehyde using n-butanol as solvent, which obtained C8 oxygenate and C12 oxygenate with yield of 69.3 % and 26.8 % respectively. The medium Brønsted base site of the catalyst captured α-H to promote the formation of enolate from n-butyraldehyde, and the Lewis acid sites promoted the dehydration of intermediate products. DFT simulation showed that n-butanol activated α-C in enolate in aldol condensation, and deactivated the oxygen atoms in enolate by hydrogen bonds to inhibit side reactions. Finally, the obtained condensation products were subjected to HDO reaction over the 5 wt% Pd/C and HZSM-5 catalysts, obtaining the highly branched alkanes with an ultra-low freezing point of -120.7 °C for C8 alkane and -78.7 °C for C12 alkane suitable for bio-jet fuels.