Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biodiesel, Oil Refining, and Biomass Conversion
This community develops heterogeneous catalysts to convert waste cooking oils into biodiesel, remove sulfur from heavy oils, and break down lignocellulosic biomass into fuel and chemical feedstocks.
The work centers on solid acid catalysts, zeolites, and metal oxides (including vanadium, molybdenum, and niobium compounds) designed for specific reactions: transesterification of fatty acids, oxidative desulfurization, and propane dehydrogenation. A significant portion of the research focuses on upgrading waste streams, such as used cooking oil and lignin, into value-added products like levulinic acid, furfuryl alcohol, and low-sulfur diesel. Methods emphasize catalyst stability, selectivity, and the use of supported or single-atom active sites to improve efficiency in both petrochemical and renewable feedstock processing.
The largest share of the community's output is found in vanadium research, representing 5.4% of all vanadium research, and 2,038 papers here. It also holds a 4.7% share of niobium research (1,287 papers) and a 3.1% share of molybdenum research (1,279 papers).
The community comprises 23,279 papers, publishing most frequently in Fuel, Journal of Catalysis, and Applied Catalysis A: General.
Recent work continues to focus on catalyst design for propane dehydrogenation, biodiesel production from diverse feedstocks, and the catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived bio-oils and lignin derivatives.