Application of Mesoporous NiMo/Silica (NiMo/SiO2) as a Catalyst in the Hydrocracking of Used Cooking Oil into Jet Fuel

The synthesis and application of mesoporous NiMo/silica as a catalyst in the hydrocracking of used cooking oil has been studied. Mesoporous silica was synthesized from TEOS and NaHCO3 as a template. The produced mesoporous silica was modified, i.e., impregnated, with Ni and Mo with concentration variations of 1, 2, and 3 wt.% to improve its activity and selectivity. The highest acidity and surface area among the modified catalysts were 14.65 mmol/g and 549.89 m2/g, found in NiMo-2/SiO2. This catalyst was applied in the hydrocracking of used cooking oil with variations in temperature and catalyst-to-feed ratio under H2 gas flow rate of 20 mL/min for two hours. The optimum temperature and catalyst-to-feed ratio obtained were 425 °C and 1%, which produced 42.80 wt.% liquid yield, i.e., a selectivity of 39.48 wt.% of the jet fuel fraction (C9-C15).