Biofuel production from palm oil via catalytic hydrocracking over modified-zirconia catalysts

The hydrocracking process of palm oil using sulphated zirconia (ZrO2−SO4) and Cr-incorporated sulphated zirconia (Cr/ZrO2−SO4) catalyst has been conducted. The synthesis of ZrO2−SO4 was initiated by the activation process of zirconia acidification using H2SO4, followed by calcination process. Furthermore, the impregnation of Cr metal on ZrO2− SO4 was prepared by hydrothermal process, then calcined and reduced using H2 gas. The FTIR instrument was utilized for confirmation of functional groups of the catalysts. The acidity values of catalysts were determined using the gravimetric method by studying NH3 sorption. The XRD instrument was utilized to identify the crystalline structures of catalysts. The catalysts were then tested in a hydrocracking reactor. The GC-MS instrument was employed to analyze the liquid yields produced from the catalytic hydrocracking of palm oil. The results revealed that after the addition of Cr amounts, the Cr/ZrO2−SO4 acidity of catalyst was significantly increased. The catalysts contained monoclinic phase with high thermal stability and high crystallinity. The hydrocracking reaction of palm oil over Cr/ZrO2−SO4 effectively produced 35.852% gasoline fraction and 46.064% diesel fraction.