Synthesis of cobalt-dispersed sulfated zirconia nanocatalyst for the hydroconversion of used palm cooking oil into bio-jet fuel
Riska Astin Fitria, Niko Prasetyo, Aldino Javier Saviola, Wega Trisunaryanti, Akhmad Syoufian, Amalia Kurnia Amin, Won‐Chun Oh, Karna Wijaya
Abstract
In the past decade, rising demand for air travel has resulted in increased carbon emissions, stimulating research into bio-jet fuel as an eco-friendly aviation alternative. This study examines the synthesis and application of cobalt-dispersed sulfated zirconia nanocatalysts for the hydroconversion of used palm cooking oil into bio-jet fuel under atmospheric conditions. The catalysts were synthesized using the wet impregnation method with varying cobalt loadings (1 %, 3 %, and 5 %) and characterized by FTIR, XRD, NH 3 -TPD, SAA, XRF, SEM-EDX Mapping, TEM-SAED, and XPS analyses. Hydroconversion with the Co-3/SZ catalyst yielded a 63.03 wt% liquid product, with 92.28 % bio-jet fuel selectivity and a yield of 58.17 wt%. Reusability tests for six consecutive runs further indicated that this catalyst maintained a bio-jet fuel selectivity of 56.94 % and a yield of 28.43 %, underscoring its potential as a promising candidate for bio-jet fuel production.