Influence of Pressure and Temperature on the Yield and Chemical Composition of Hydrotreated Bio-oil Derived from Hops

The catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived bio-oils is an important step toward the production of renewable transportation fuels and refinery-compatible hydrocarbon streams. Bio-oil obtained from the thermocatalytic reforming (TCR) of biomass represents a promising renewable feedstock; however, its high oxygen content limits direct fuel applications. In this study, hops-derived TCR bio-oil was hydrotreated in a continuous fixed-bed reactor using a Ni-Mo-based catalyst at hydrogen pressures between 80 and 120 bar and temperatures up to 390 °C at a feed rate of 500 g h.¹. Hydrotreatment resulted in substantial deoxygenation and pronounced changes in hydrocarbon class distribution. Increasing hydrogen pressure promoted the formation of saturated hydrocarbon products and suppressed olefinic compounds. At 120 bar, oxygen-containing species were reduced to trace levels and no olefinic products were detected. In contrast, residual olefinic compounds (1.87 area%) were still observed at 100 bar, indicating incomplete hydrogenation under these conditions. The 120-bar condition additionally yielded the highest fraction of cyclic alkanes (49.1%), suggesting enhanced stabilization of cyclic hydrocarbon structures during hydrotreatment. Overall, the results demonstrate that hydrogen pressure strongly influences product selectivity and hydrocarbon composition during upgrading of hops-derived TCR bio-oil. The findings provide insights into process optimization for the production of refinery-compatible renewable fuel intermediates.