Graphitic carbon embedded FeNi nanoparticles for efficient deoxygenation of stearic acid without using hydrogen and solvent

Upgrading fatty acids to hydrocarbons via deoxygenation is significant for the synthesis of high-grade biofuels. Developing economic reaction conditions without using noble metal-based catalysts in the absence of hydrogen and solvent has promising application prospects. Herein, carbon-coated bimetallic FeNi nanoparticles were prepared via an in-situ carbonization-reduction strategy using double-metal cyanide at different temperatures for the deoxygenation of stearic acid. The size of the alloy core and the thickness of the carbon shell were found to be easily adjusted by varying temperature. Compared with monometallic Fe/C and Ni/C catalysts, the alloy catalyst exhibits an obvious improvement in both the conversion of stearic acid and the selectivity of heptadecane. ATR-IR spectra show that the insertion of the inert Fe element into Ni nanoparticles can promote carboxylic acid group adsorption but restrain hydrocarbon group adsorption. The synergistic effect of Fe and Ni elements leads to the promotion of direct decarboxylation of stearic acid and suppression of the C–C cracking reaction. Among different alloy catalysts studied, FeNi@C-800 exhibits the greatest catalytic performance with a 99.9% conversion of stearic acid and 76.8% selectivity for heptadecane. Furthermore, the catalyst can still maintain a stable catalytic performance against the leaching and ripening of metal through the protection afforded by the carbon shell. This work not only provides a powerful reaction system for the decarboxylation of stearic acid but also demonstrates an alternative catalyst to noble metals based on a convenient carbonization-reduction strategy.