Multi-metallic Catalyst System And Use Of The Same In Preparing Upgraded Fuel From Biomass

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multi-metallic catalyst system comprising at least one support, and at least one promoter component and an active component comprising at least two metals uniformly dispersed on the support. The present disclosure also provides a process for preparing the multi-metallic catalyst system. Further, the present disclosure provides a process for preparing upgraded fuel from biomass. The process is carried out in two steps. In the first step, a biomass slurry is prepared and is heated in the presence of hydrogen and a multi-metallic catalyst that comprises at least one support, at least one promoter component, and an active component comprising at least two metals to obtain crude biofuel as an intermediate product. The intermediate product obtained in the first step is then cooled and filtered to obtain a filtered intermediate product. In the second step, the filtered intermediate product is hydrogenated in the presence of the multi-metallic catalyst to obtain the upgraded fuel. The fuel obtained from the process of the present disclosure is devoid of heteroatoms such as oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur.

1 . A multi-metallic catalyst system comprising:
 i. at least one alumina support;   ii. a promoter component impregnated on said at least one support; wherein said promoter is at least one selected from the group consisting of Niobium (Nb) and Phosphorous (P); and   iii. an active component comprising cobalt and molybdenum, being uniformly dispersed on said at least one support.   
     
     
         2 . The catalyst system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said catalyst system is characterized by having BET surface area in the range of 165 to 170 m 2 /g, pore volume in the range of 0.48 to 0.50 cc/g, pore width in the range of 78 to 82 Å, and total acidity in the range of 0.810 to 0.812 mmol/g. 
     
     
         3 . The catalyst system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said support is in at least one form selected from the group consisting of spheres, extrudates, powder, and pellets. 
     
     
         4 . The catalyst system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the amount of said at least one promoter component is in the range from 0.1 to 1 wt % of the catalyst system. 
     
     
         5 . The catalyst system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the amount of said active component is in the range from 0.05 to 8 wt % of the catalyst system. 
     
     
         6 . The catalyst system as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprises at least one sulfiding agent selected from the group consisting of dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl sulfoxide; wherein said catalyst system is characterized by having BET surface area in the range of 164 to 166 m 2 /g, pore volume in the range of 0.48 to 0.50 cc/g, pore width in the range of 80 to 82 Å, and total acidity in the range of 0.92 to 0.93 mmol/g. 
     
     
         7 . A process for preparing upgraded fuel from biomass using a multi-metallic catalyst system, said process comprising the following steps:
 a. preparing a biomass slurry by blending algae in water and loading said slurry into a reactor, wherein the amount of said algae in said biomass slurry is in the range of 10% to 30%;   b. heating said biomass slurry to a first pre-determined temperature, at a first pre-determined pressure and for a first pre-determined time period in the presence of hydrogen and a multi-metallic catalyst comprising at least one alumina support, at least one promoter component being Phosphorous or Niobium, and an active component being Cobalt and Molybdenum, to obtain an intermediate product comprising crude biofuel;   c. collecting, cooling and filtering said intermediate product to obtain a filtered intermediate product; and   d. hydrogenating said filtered intermediate product in the presence of said multi-metallic catalyst at a second pre-determined temperature, at a second pre-determined pressure and for a second pre-determined time period to obtain said upgraded fuel.   
     
     
         8 . The process as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said algae is at least one selected from the group consisting of  Nannochloris, Spirulina  and  Nannochloropsis.    
     
     
         9 . The process as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said first pre-determined temperature is the range of 200° C. to 350° C., said first pre-determined pressure is in the range of 1 MPa to 5 MPa; said second pre-determined pressure is in the range of 2 MPa to 7 MPa; said second pre-determined temperature is in the range of 351° C. to 500° C.; and said first pre-determined time period and said second pre-determined time period is in the range of 15 minutes to 120 minutes. 
     
     
         10 . The process as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the yield of said crude biofuel is in the range of 50% to 80% and the yield of said upgraded fuel is in the range of 81% to 90%.