Catalytic Production of High-Octane Synthetic Fuel from Bioethanol and Gaseous Sources of Carbon Feedstock

Abstract

This study investigated the catalytic conversion of bioethanol and methanol into synthetic liquid hydrocarbons with properties comparable to or surpassing conventional petroleum-based fuels. Using zeolite catalysts modified with nickel and molybdenum, bioethanol was processed in a continuous flow reactor under temperatures ranging from 340 to 400 °C and pressure up to 25 bar. The experiments demonstrated that at 360 °C and 15 bar, the liquid hydrocarbon yield reached 63% by mass, with an octane number of 97 and an aromatic content of 42%. Increasing the reaction temperature to 400 °C raised the aromatic fraction to 48% but reduced the yield to 57%. The additional processing of dimethyl ether derived from methanol, along with the subsequent hydrogenation of aromatic compounds, enabled the reduction of benzene content to as low as 1.2%, meeting Euro-5 standards. The produced fuels exhibited lower heating values between 42.0 and 43.7 MJ/kg and showed low corrosion activity on carbon steel and aluminium alloys. The findings confirm the feasibility of bioethanol-based processes to produce high-performance, low-toxicity fuels suitable for sustainable energy systems.