Investigation of Biocrude Production from Spirulina via Catalytic Hydrothermal Liquefaction with the Ru/ZrO2-SiO2 Catalyst

Shuai Lu; Shaobo Wang; Jinglai Zhang; Guang Xian; Yichi Qian; Hongbiao Du

doi:10.1021/acsomega.4c07632

Investigation of Biocrude Production from Spirulina via Catalytic Hydrothermal Liquefaction with the Ru/ZrO₂-SiO₂ Catalyst

ACS Omega. 2025 Jan 6;10(2):1966-1975. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c07632. eCollection 2025 Jan 21.

Authors

Shuai Lu¹, Shaobo Wang¹, Jinglai Zhang¹, Guang Xian², Yichi Qian³, Hongbiao Du^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ School of Ecology and Environment, Renmin University of China, No.59 Zhongguancun Street, Beijing 100872, China.
² Army Logistics Academy, Chongqing 401331, China.
³ School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, U.K.
⁴ School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.

Abstract

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising technology for converting wet biomass to liquid fuels. However, the biocrude yield and quality in this process are unsatisfactory without catalysts. Herein, a Ru/ZrO₂-SiO₂ catalyst was prepared with the NaBH₄ reducing method for the HTL of Spirulina. The results demonstrated the successful deposition of Ru particles onto the ZrO₂-SiO₂ carrier, resulting in improved crystallinity and a more stable internal structure. The effect of different loading ratios of Ru particles on biocrude production was investigated. The findings revealed a gradual decrease in biocrude yield with increasing loading ratio of Ru particles. Meanwhile, the energy recovery (ER) rate exhibited a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, with a peak of 67.51% observed at a 4‰ loading molar ratio. The GC-MS results indicated an increase in hydrocarbon content, accompanied by a decrease in carboxylic acids and esters, demonstrating the hydrodeoxygenation effect of Ru. Additionally, the impact of the Ru/ZrO₂-SiO₂ dosage on the HTL of Spirulina was examined. The highest biocrude yield of 53.89% was attained with a 15% catalyst dosage, while the highest ER rate of 68.29% was observed at a 10% catalyst dosage.