Typical HDO catalysts commonly are sulfided nickel-molybdenum or cobalt-molybdenum on gamma alumina.
[2] HDO is of interest in producing biofuels, which are derived from oxygen-rich precursors like sugars or lipids.
HDO of biomass fast pyrolysis vapors under low hydrogen pressures have recently attracted a lot of attention.
Bulk molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) was used as catalyst and found to completely deoxygenate cellulose, corn stover, and lignin pyrolysis vapors and produce a stream of hydrocarbons including aromatics, alkenes, and alkanes.
[3][4] From an economic viewpoint, only aromatics and alkenes should ideally be produced to enable product incorporation into the existing infrastructure.