Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF THE ENERGY INSTITUTE, cilt.124, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Achieving a net-zero carbon future necessitates the development of sustainable biofuels as alternatives to fossil-derived transportation fuels. However, the direct use of raw bio-oil is limited by its high oxygen content, chemical instability, and corrosiveness, making catalytic upgrading to hydrocarbon-rich fuels essential. Conventional catalysts for bio-oil upgrading often suffer from poor selectivity, rapid deactivation due to coke formation, or insufficient resistance to the complex oxygenates present in bio-oil. This study investigates the catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived bio-oil using novel mesoporous silica-based microsphere catalysts functionalized with manganese (Mn) and cerium (Ce) via a microencapsulation technique, which enhances metal dispersion and redox properties. Catalytic activity tests were carried out at 400 degrees C under atmospheric pressure using a model bio-oil mixture (furfural, formic acid, and hydroxypropanol) co-fed with ethanol at a 70:30 volumetric ratio. The results show that Mn-functionalized mesoporous silica microspheres (SMC) achieve 94 % conversion and high isoparaffin selectivity (71 %). Moreover, the synergistic incorporation of Ce introduces enhanced redox behavior and oxygen-vacancy sites in addition to drastically suppressing coke formation, which decreased from similar to 22 wt% (unmodified SMC) to 1.4 wt% (5Ce@5Mn-SMC). These results indicate that Mn- and Ce-functionalized silica microspheres exhibit high catalytic activity and long-term stability, providing better performance in converting oxygen-rich bio-oil into high-quality hydrocarbon fuels.