Work

Influence of Nickel‐Loaded Catalysts on the Production of Aviation Fuel Blendstocks by Co‐Oligomerization of C 2 –C 4 Olefins

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Light olefins (C 2– C 4 ) produced via the Methanol‐to‐Olefins (MtO) process can be transformed via co‐oligomerization into aviation fuels employing metal‐loaded solid acid catalysts. In this study, the influence of nickel‐loaded silica‐alumina (Siralox‐40 HPV) on the production of jet fuel and the resulting fuel properties is evaluated. The feedstock is a typical MtO surrogate comprising ethylene, propylene, and 1‐butylene in a ratio of 40:40:20 mol%. The nickel loading is varied from 0 to 4 wt% at 160 °C, 40 bar pressure, a WHSV of 4 h −1 and 75 h time on stream. After distillation and hydrogenation, the share of kerosene is 54 wt% for all catalysts and fuel properties can be influenced by nickel loading. Several important fuel properties are determined, and many of them are within the specifications of ASTM D7566‐22a Annex 5, so that the synthesized kerosene could be implemented in fuel blends. The fuels are also characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to complement the fuel properties. The influence of nickel on product formation is discussed, and a nickel loading of 2 wt% is advantageous in terms of highest and stable ethylene and propylene conversion as well as linearity of the products.

Source: Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research

DOI: 10.1002/aesr.70286

Authors: Ravi Teja Ganti, Thomas A. Zevaco, Ulrich Arnold, Jörg Sauer

Institution: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Zeolite Catalysis and Synthesis

Subfield: Inorganic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,910