Authors:

Alyssa Camryn Kohl

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

The aviation industry relies on kerosene-based jet fuels composed primarily of C9-C16 hydrocarbons, which are efficient but derived from depleting fossil sources. This research explores the production of jet- fuel-range hydrocarbons from spent coffee grounds (SCGs), a waste biomass rich in triglycerides and fatty acids. The goal is to develop a more sustainable method to convert coffee oil into hydrocarbon fuels through catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactions. Coffee oil was extracted from SCGs using ethyl acetate and reacted with metallic catalysts (CoMo/Al?O?, NiMo/Al?O?, Pt/Si) in a 100 mL Parr reactor under high temperature and pressure. Water was used as a hydrogen donor instead of molecular hydrogen to enhance safety and reduce cost. Experimental conditions varied in temperature (220-300?°C), time (1.5- 12 hours), and catalyst concentration (5%-30%). GC-MS analysis of the organic fractions revealed a clear dependence on both catalyst type and reaction time. Samples reacted for shorter times showed a predominance of unreacted fatty acids, such as hexadecanoic and linoleic acid, indicating incomplete HDO. The PtSi catalyst yielded the poorest performance, with minimal hydrocarbon conversion. In contrast, reactions carried out for more than 7 hours using NiMo and CoMo catalysts produced a significantly greater diversity of linear and cyclic hydrocarbons within the jet fuel range. These preliminary results confirm the viability of coffee oil as a renewable feedstock for jet fuel production using water and bimetallic catalysts. Future work should focus on optimizing water-to-oil ratio, and temperature to improve conversion efficiency and maximize hydrocarbon yield. Keywords: Sustainable Fuel; Spent Coffee Grounds; Bimetallic Catalysts; HDO

Source:

Purdue University / 2025

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Alyssa Camryn Kohl