Comparison of Tungsten and Molybdenum Carbide Catalysts for the Hydrodeoxygenation of Oleic Acid

Group 6 (W, Mo) metal carbide catalysts are promising alternatives to hydrodesulfurization (NiMo, CoMo) catalysts and group 10 (Pd) type catalysts in the deoxygenation of vegetable fats/oils. Herein, we report a comparison of carbon nanofiber-supported W2C and Mo2C catalysts on activity, selectivity, and stability for the hydrodeoxygenation of oleic acid to evaluate the catalytic potential for the upgrading of fat/oil feeds. W2C/CNF was more selective toward olefins, whereas Mo2C/CNF was more selective toward paraffins. This was related to the hydrogenation activities of the respective metal carbides. Mo2C/CNF showed higher activity and stability compared with W2C/CNF