Production of jet biofuels catalysed by mofs through the Guerbet reaction

The transition toward low-carbon transportation has stimulated growing interest in bio-based fuels capable of replacing fossil-derived hydrocarbons, particularly in sectors where electrification is not easily achievable. Among the possible technologies, the Guerbet reaction represents a promising strategy to convert short-chain alcohols such as ethanol into higher alcohols with improved fuel properties. In this work, the catalytic upgrading of ethanol to n-butanol was investigated using MOF-based catalysts under continuous gas-phase conditions. A series of catalysts were synthesized by varying metal loading, impregnation procedures and catalyst dilution, and were tested in a fixed-bed reactor. The catalytic performance was evaluated in terms of ethanol conversion and product selectivity as a function of feed conversion, with particular attention to catalyst deactivation phenomena. Spectroscopic and compositional characterization techniques were employed to correlate catalytic behaviour with structural and chemical features of the catalysts. The results show that MOF-based catalysts can promote the Guerbet coupling under relatively mild conditions compared to conventional heterogeneous systems, while displaying a complex evolution of activity and selectivity during operation. Analysis of selectivity and production rate trends indicates that catalyst deactivation plays a key role in shaping the product distribution, highlighting the sensitivity of the Guerbet pathway to the nature and stability of the active sites. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of structure–performance relationships in MOF-derived catalysts and provide insights for the design of more stable and selective systems for biofuel upgrading.