MoO₃-based catalysts supported on SiO₂ and their performance in hydrodeoxygenation

A series of MoO₃ catalysts supported on SiO₂ were prepared. The aim of this work is to understand the factors that determine their catalytic performance in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO)of fatty acids. The impregnation of Mo species was carried out by using citric acid (CA)or malonic acid (MA)in aqueous solutions. The use of organic acids resulted in changing the oxidation states of Mo in the materials. The performance of the catalyst prepared with CA was the best in this series. We found that oxidation states of Mo species play a major role in the HDO of palmitic acid.