Synthesis of nanoporous material from zeolite USY and catalytic application to bio-oil conversion

A highly ordered nanoporous aluminosilicate (MMZ(USY)) was synthesized using commercially available zeolite USY as the framework source and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the template. The aluminosilicate was characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption, ICP-AES and TPD. The catalytic performance of the MMZ(USY) material in the conversion of bio-oil was compared with that of Al-MCM-41, which was synthesized using a direct sol-gel method. The highly accessible nanopores, hydrothermal stability and the intermediate acidic properties of MMZ(USY) correlated with the catalytic performance in the conversion of the bio-oil. The MMZ(USY) used in this study showed excellent activity, selectivity and stability for the production of desirable organic compounds, such as phenolics, with a high degree of deoxygenation.