The conversion of canola oil to hydrocarbons using a shape selective zeolite catalyst is reported in this work. Canola oil was passed over HZSM‐5 catalyst in a fixed bed micro‐reactor and the effects of reaction temperature and oil space velocity on the conversion and selectivity were studied using a statistical experimental design. The results show that 60–95 wt% of the canola oil can be converted to hydrocarbons in the gasoline boiling range, light gases and water. The gasoline fraction contained 60–70 wt% of aromatic hydrocarbons and the gases were mostly C3 and C4 paraffins. Furthermore, the spent catalyst could be regenerated completely at 600°C in 1 h with dry air.

Alkali treatment of corn stover improves the avaliability of cellulose and hemicellulose for enzymatic attack. Treatments were carried out for 1 to 60 min at temperatures and NaOH concentrations ranging from 100 to 150 degrees C and 0 to 2%, respectively. Solubilization of the stover and sugar production by enzymatic hydrolysis (Trichoderma viride cellulase) of the solid residue and the dissolved solids were used to measure the effect of caustic treatment. At 150 degrees C and 2% NaOH concentration, 65% of the original stover was dissolved after 5 min and 52% saccharificatin (g sugar/g stover) of the residue and dissolved solids by enzymatic hydrolysis was achieved compared to 20% for untreated corn stover.

The synthesis of hydrocarbons via hydrogenation of carbon monoxide was investigated over cobalt-nickel-zirconia catalysts of various compositions in combination with zeolite HZSM-5 in "mixed bed" and "follow bed" arrangements. These combinations resulted in the formation of aromatics in amounts as high as 30-35 wt% under relatively mild operating conditions (1 atm, 250-280°C). Although the olefinicity of Cr and C, fractions in the product stream was higher in the mixed bed compared to the follow bed arrangement, the selectivities to aromatics were comparable in the two bed arrangements. The aromatic selectivity was found to be sensitive to operating conditions. The formation of aromatics was favored at high HZSM-S/metal catalyst ratios, low space velocities and high reaction temperatures. The product distributions obtained using various metal/zeolite bifunctional catalysts have been discussed.

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Performances of manganese oxide‐supported cobalt, nickel, and their combinations of varying compositions have been investigated for CO hydrogenation to lower hydrocarbons using a fixed bed microreactor at atmospheric pressure and temperatures ranging from 525 to 575 K. While Co/MnO was found to exhibit high selectivity to olefins in the C2–C4 range, the total yield of hydrocarbons was low. Addition of nickel to cobalt gave a stable catalyst having improved hydrocarbon yields while still retaining good olefin selectivity. The effect of operating conditions on product distribution was studied. Lower space times and higher temperatures favored olefin selectivity. A comparison of Ni and Co catalysts on various support materials was made. MnO‐supported Co catalyst gave significantly higher olefin/paraffin ratio than that obtained using conventional supports such as SiO2 or Al2O3. It was found that Co/MnO exhibited high water‐gas shift activity, and suppressed hydrogen uptake due to strong metal‐support interaction which favored olefin formation. This can be explained on the basis of competitive adsorption of water and hydrogen on the same surface sites resulting in low hydrogenation activity but improved olefin selectivity.

Ca lola oil and steam were co‐fed continuously to a 15.5 mm i.d. fixed‐bed reactor loaded with HZSM‐5 catalyst at varying process conditions. The liquid hydrocarbon product contained 60–70 wt% aromatics. The gas product was highly olefinic, while for canola oil alone it was mostly paraffinic. The C2‐C5 olefin selectivity increased with an increase in the steam/canola oil ratio in the feed. In addition, co‐feeding with steam resulted in a two‐fold increase in the catalyst life. Though the exact role of steam in altering the chemistry of the reaction is not known, it is probable that the rates of olefin formation and aromatization reactions are affected by the presence of steam. The product pattern suggests the possibility of propene being the initial olefin in the reaction scheme.