Lanthanum-modified SBA-15 as a robust catalyst for renewable hydrocarbon production from vegetable oil

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The transition to renewable energy systems requires efficient catalysts for the production of drop-in hydrocarbons from triglyceride feedstocks. In this study, ordered mesoporous La-SBA-15 materials with Si/La molar ratios of 20, 40, and 100 were synthesized by a two-step pH-adjusted hydrothermal route and evaluated for crude soybean oil hydroprocessing in a fixed-bed reactor at 450 °C under H 2 flow. Physicochemical characterization by small-angle and wide-angle XRD, N 2 physisorption, FTIR, SEM, TEM, AAS, and NH 3 -TPD showed that lanthanum incorporation preserved the ordered SBA-15 mesostructure, maintained high surface area and mesoporosity, and modified the acidity of the catalysts. Among the evaluated catalysts, La 20 SBA-15 exhibited the best catalytic performance, achieving complete conversion after 30 min and maintaining high selectivity toward C 5 –C 18 hydrocarbons throughout the reaction. Product distribution was dominated by C 17 –C 18 hydrocarbons, while the C 18 /C 17 ratios indicated a significant contribution of the hydrodeoxygenation pathway throughout the reaction. The simultaneous formation of CO, CO 2 , H 2 O, and lighter hydrocarbons also evidenced the parallel occurrence of decarboxylation, decarbonylation, and secondary cracking reactions. Furthermore, TPO analysis showed that the La-modified catalysts exhibited lower coke deposition than pristine SBA-15, indicating improved resistance to deactivation. These findings demonstrate that lanthanum is an effective modifier for tuning the surface properties of SBA-15, enhancing the hydroprocessing of crude soybean oil toward fuel-range hydrocarbons.