Green diesel can be produced from waste cooking oil through hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) employing NiMo and CoMo catalysts. These catalysts supported on Ti-pillared bentonite have been effectively prepared by pillaring bentonite with titanium as the pillaring agent, followed by double impregnation with NiMo and CoMo bimetals. The physicochemical properties of Ti-PILC, Mo/Ti-PILC, NiMo/Ti-PILC, and CoMo/Ti-PILC catalysts were characterized utilizing X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Specific Surface Area Analysis, pore distribution assessments, Temperature-Programmed Desorption (TPD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The specific surface area and pore volume of bentonite increased significantly after Ti-pillaring. Both NiMo/Ti-PILC and CoMo/Ti-PILC catalysts effectively converted waste cooking oil into green diesel (C 14 -C 22 ). The green diesel yields were 57.07% for NiMo/Ti-PILC and 83.23% for CoMo/Ti-PILC. The CoMo/Ti-PILC catalyst demonstrated greater hydrodeoxygenation activity than the NiMo/Ti-PILC catalyst. The fatty acid composition of the feedstock plays a crucial role in determining both the optimal active metal configuration and the support catalyst. The primary product of hydrodeoxygenation of waste cooking oil comprises n-paraffins, unequivocally indicating the catalyst's proficiency in removing oxygen groups from oxidized compounds. This work demonstrates the potential of Ti-pillared bentonite as a cost-effective and high-performance catalyst support for advanced biofuel production from waste oils. • Pillared bentonite with titanium metal (Ti-PILC) was synthesized via sonication. • The catalytic activity of sulfided NiMo and CoMo supported on Ti-PILC demonstrated effective upgrading of waste cooking oil (WCO) to green diesel via hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). • The yield of green diesel (C 14 –C 22 ) exceeded 80%, particularly with the CoMo/Ti-PILC catalyst. • The fatty acid profile of the feedstock significantly influences the selection of active metals and support catalysts.
Rinaldi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.