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The present invention provides a method for producing hydrocarbons having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, comprising the steps of: a) providing a feedstock comprising saturated fatty acids, and/or derivatives thereof; b) deoxygenating the feedstock in the presence of a metal free hydrogenation and decarboxylation catalyst under low-pressure hydrothermal conditions, wherein the temperature is in the range 350-400 °C and the pressure is in the range 10-30 bar; and wherein the catalyst is a heteroatom-doped carbon material. Furthermore, there is provided a system for preforming the method in a single reactor (R) system comprises a bed of a carbon catalyst facilitating simultaneous hydrogenation and decarboxylation

A Ru-loaded carbon material with characteristic surface chemistry (Br∅nsted acidic phosphate groups, Lewis basic N-groups selected from the group consisting of Lewis basic pyridinic, pyrrolic and quaternary N-groups and oxygen functional groups) is shown to exhibit excellent activity, selectivity and stability upon hydrogenation of aqueous levulinic acid (0.47M and 0.95M) to γ-alerolactone with near stochiometric H₂ under mild conditions (80-95°C). The material demostrated remarkable stability in a fixed-bed reactor under continuous flow conditions, maintaining high activity, and γ-valerolactone selectivity during  ∼ 1250h time on stream operating at 3-5 bar, 80-95 °C and low H₂/levulinic acid ratio (4-17). The exceptional catalytic performance and stability of the multifunctional Ru-catalyst was attributed to the unique surface chemistry of carbon support that stabilized the Ru nanoparticles on the surface nitrogen and oxygen defects, and promoted 4-hydroxypentanoic acid cyclization over acidic phosphate and RuOx/RuO₂ sites.

Herein, we report porous ionic liquids (type-III) designed to utilize microporous ZIF-8 moieties with functional ionic liquids such as 8-(2-methoxyethyl)-1,8-Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-en-8-ium, Bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide ([MEDBU][TFSI] and Trioctylammonium 4-para-tert-butylbenzoiate [TOAH][PTBBA]). The prepared materials were thoroughly characterized by means of XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, BET, TGA, DSC and viscometry techniques. The idea of combining the intrinsic properties of ionic liquids with microporous architecture to prepare porous ionic liquids yields promising fluidic materials that have received attention in industrial applications such as gas sorption and separation etc. The prepared porous ionic liquids possess unique physico-chemical properties such as low viscosity, high thermal stability, low vapor pressure, reusability and their fluidic nature renders the materials suitable for CO2 capture. Herein introduced porous ionic liquids (ILs) showed enhanced CO2 uptake (0.92 mmol/g in [TOAH][PTBBA]-Z100 and 1.16 mmol/g in [MEDBU][TFSI]-Z200), or in other words, 15–47% higher sorption capacity compared to neat ionic liquids. This concept overcomes the drawbacks of highly viscous ILs and their limited CO2 sorption capacity. Thermodynamic modeling further demonstrated that the enthalpy of sorption is only −9.99 kJ mol−1, indicating that significantly less energy is required for regeneration. This is promising for the potential use of these fluidic materials in continuous separation processes on an industrial scale, as a better alternative to the existing hazardous amine scrubbing.

The present invention provides a method for producing hydrocarbons having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, comprising the steps of: a) providing a feedstock comprising saturated fatty acids, and/or derivatives thereof; b) deoxygenating the feedstock in the presence of a metal free hydrogenation and decarboxylation catalyst under low-pressure hydrothermal conditions, wherein the temperature is in the range 350-400 °C and the pressure is in the range 10-30 bar; and wherein the catalyst is a heteroatom-doped carbon material. Furthermore, there is provided a system for preforming the method in a single reactor (R) system comprises a bed of a carbon catalyst facilitating simultaneous hydrogenation and decarboxylation.

A method for converting an alcohol to hydrocarbons comprises two serially placed catalysts. The fraction of aromatics is reduced to desired levels. The method comprises: a) contacting the alcohol with a first catalyst on a carrier, said carrier is selected from a mixed oxide and a mesoporous carrier, said first catalyst comprises at least one basic oxide and optionally at least one selected from the group consisting of metals and metal oxides, then b) contacting the resulting mixture from step a) with a second catalyst wherein said second catalyst is an etched metal loaded zeolite catalyst wherein the etched metal loaded zeolite catalyst is manufactured with a method comprising etching with subsequent loading of metal onto the catalyst, wherein the metal is in the form of nanoparticles, and wherein at least two different metals are loaded onto the etched zeolite catalyst. The hydrocarbons are recovered and used for instance for fuel including gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and jet propellant, and jet fuel. Naturally, other uses of hydrocarbons should not be excluded.

Isopropyl chloride synthesis from isopropanol and HCl in gas phase over ZnCl₂ catalysts supported on Al₂O₃ as well as flexible carbon foam was studied in a continuous reactor. A series of catalytic materials were synthesised and characterised by BET, XPS, SEM, TEM, XRD and NH₃-TPD methods. Catalytic activity tests (product selectivity and conversion of reactants) were performed for all materials and optimal reaction conditions (temperature and feedstock flow rates) were found. The results indicate that the highest yield of isopropyl chloride was obtained over 5 wt.% ZnCl₂ on commercial Al₂O₃ (No. II) (95.3%). Determination of product mixture compositions and by-product identification were done using a GC-MS method. Carbon foam variant catalyst, 5 wt.% ZnCl₂/C, was found to perform best out of the carbon-supported materials, achieving ∼75% yield of isopropyl chloride. The kinetic model describing the process in a continuous packed bed reactor was proposed and kinetic parameters were calculated. The activation energy for the formation of isopropyl chloride reaction directly from isopropanol and HCl was found to be ∼58 kJ/mol.

Herein we report a 3D heterostructure comprising a hierarchical macroporous carbon foam that incorporates mesoporous carbon nanotubes decorated with cobalt oxide nanoparticles as an unique and highly efficient electrode material for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrocatalytic water splitting. The best performing electrode material showed high stability after 10 h, at constant potential of 1.7 V vs. RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode) in a 0.1 M KOH solution and high electrocatalytic activity in OER with low overpotential (0.38 V vs RHE at 10 mA cm(-2)). The excellent electrocatalytic performance of the electrode is rationalized by the overall 3D macroporous structure and with the firmly integrated CNTs directly grown on the foam, resulting in a large specific surface area, good electrical conductivity, as well as an efficient electrolyte transport into the whole electrode matrix concurrent with an ability to quickly dispose oxygen bubbles into the electrolyte. The eminent properties of the three-dimensional structured carbon matrix, which can be synthesized through a simple, scalable and cost effective pyrolysis process show that it has potential to be implemented in large-scale water electrolysis systems.

The water dynamics in the confined space of the zeolite ZSM-5 has bee ninvestigated by means of the field dependence of ¹H- and ²H- spin-lattice relaxation rates using a 1T Stelar FFC2000 fast field-cycling instrument. The NMRD analysis of  the experimental results indicates that the characteristic time dependence ( 50 ns to 1-2.4 μs) is due to water translational diffusion in narrow pores. The temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rates is weak.Zeolites with different counter ions( H⁺, NH₄⁺ change the water hydration and the water translational diffusion in the pores drastically. The Zeolite-NH₄⁺ slow down the water motion with a factor of 2.The NMRD profiles show somewhat stretched character and is described by two Lorenzian which indicates that the distribution of pore sizes is broaden.The water ¹H and ²H spin lattice relaxation profiles give qualitatively information about water hydration in zeolites with different counter ions and is expected also to indicate structural changes of the zeolites. 

The present study focuses on the direct chemical adsorption of CO2 onto alkaline hydrothermally activated oil shale fly ash (OSFA). The CO2 chemisorption experiments were conducted in a high-pressure reactor at a temperature of 150 degrees C and CO2 partial pressure of 100 bar during a 24-hour period. Original, activated and chemisorbed OSFA samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), specific surface area (BETN2) and high-resolution Si-29 magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR). The results indicated moderate weight increase (max 5 wt%) and according to XRD and MAS-NMR analysis tobermorites had reacted with CO2, leading to calcite formation. The results also show that the alkaline hydrothermally activated OSFA has a potential to be used in industrial processes for direct chemical adsorption of CO2 from flue gases.

The synthesis of 1-ethyl chloride in the gas-phase mixture of ethanol and hydrochloric acid over ZnCl₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts was studied in a continuous reactor using both commercial and tailor-made supports. The catalytic materials were characterized by the means of structural (XPS, TEM, XRD, and BET) and catalytic activity (selectivity and conversion) measurements. The reaction parameters such as temperature, pressure, and feedstock flow rates were optimized for the conversion of ethanol to ethyl chloride. The new tailor-made highly porous Al₂O₃-based catalyst outperformed its commercial counterpart by exhibiting high conversion and selectivity (98%) at the temperature of 325 °C. Long-term stability tests (240 h) confirmed the excellent durability of the tailor-made alumina catalysts. The process demonstrated here poses an efficient and economic “green” large-scale on-site synthesis of this industrially important reactant in industry, where bioethanol is produced and 1-ethyl chloride is necessary, e.g., for ethylation of cellulose and synthetic polymer products. On-site in situ production of ethyl chloride avoids the problems associated with the transportation and storage of toxic and flammable 1-ethyl chloride.