The Catalyst Review January 2025 - 16

Movers & Shakers
Jorge Aburto
Independent Researcher , International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation,
Mexico City, Mexico
Dr. Aburto graduated in Food Chemistry from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in 1994
and received his Doctorate from the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse in agroresources science
in 1998. Then, he completed a post-doctoral position at the Institute for Agrobiotechnology Research
at the Universität für Bodenkultur in Vienna, Austria. In 2000, Dr. Aburto joined IMP, the oil & gas
national laboratory, as a Research Scientist to work on biocatalytic and molecular imprinted materials
for diesel desulfurization. Currently, he is working in several areas comprising the sectors of refining, oil
pipelining, and agro-industries, aiming at their decarbonization through the development of processes,
catalysts/biocatalysts, and chemicals to embrace the energy transition to renewable energies. Dr. Aburto
has extensive expertise in biomass processing as well as the use of catalysts/biocatalysts for biofuels,
the generation of thermal and electrical power, and bio-based chemicals. Since 2025, Dr. Aburto is an
independent researcher at the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA).
He can be reached at jorge.aburto@icsamex.org.
The Catalyst Review asked Dr. Aburto to share his thoughts on the decarbonization of the transport
sector using biomass and catalysts for the sustainable production of alternative and low-carbon fuels.
The rising atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG), specifically CO2, is likely the cause of global warming and
climate change. A straightforward path to reduce CO2 emissions is through decarbonizing energy generation, fuels, and chemicals,
along with implementing new technologies and energy efficiency measures. Using renewable feedstocks such as biomass is an
interesting strategy to reach such a milestone if they are produced sustainably where the carbon balance approaches zero, which
is nowadays called the net zero objective. Crude oil and derivatives are transformed today at refineries, petrochemicals, and power
facilities into goods and energy, but they emit large quantities of GHG. Similarly, biomass is transformed through physicochemical,
thermochemical, and/or biotechnological processes to valuable products and heat and power in a versatile dedicated biorefinery
or in a conventional oil refinery through co-processing where the CO2 emissions may be offset due to biomass renewable origin.
Both approaches allow the production of drop-in synthetic fuels or low-carbon fuels, respectively, that can be used neat or further
blended with fossil fuels. Here, the development of tailor-designed catalysts and biocatalysts is crucial since the high oxygen content
of biomass diminishes its heat value, requires more hydrogen to eliminate oxygen, and provokes corrosion issues, among others.
The transport sector, including the road and aviation industries, is responsible for at least a fifth of global GHG emissions, and their
decarbonization was approached by first-generation biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel. Such biofuels have been extensively
produced from maize and edible oils and fats, respectively, and require 1) the development of biocatalysts as enzymes and yeasts
to hydrolyze starch into glucose and further fermentation to bioethanol and 2) primarily homogeneous catalysts to accomplish
the transesterification between triacyl glycerides and methanol to yield biodiesel and glycerol. The latter is an essential bio-based
chemical with diverse applications in the pharma, cosmetics, and food industries. These biofuels have been blended with gasoline or
diesel for more than 40 years, and they present some drawbacks like the low energy ratio, food vs energy controversy, some adverse
environmental impacts, and limited blending ratio.
The need to overcome such drawbacks boosted research on new feedstocks, processes, and catalysts/biocatalysts. Hence, 2nd
generation biofuels are based on non-food crops, lignocellulosic materials, oil and organic wastes, and dedicated energy crops.
Today, a commercial process that produces renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is known as hydrotreated esters
and fatty acids (HEFA) technology. This technology generally consists of the hydrotreatment of triacyl glycerides to mainly produce
propane, n-paraffins (C8-C22; known as renewable diesel), and water, followed by isomerization of n-paraffins into iso-paraffins to
yield SAF, renewable diesel, and naphtha. A typical hydrotreatment sulfide catalyst based on NiMo or CoMo is necessary. However,
hydrotreating oxygen-rich compounds such as triacyl glycerides in a stand-alone plant requires the addition of a sulfur source to
maintain catalyst activity. An interesting alternative is the co-processing of oil and fats with atmospheric gasoil, where hydrotreatment
catalysts maintain their activity due to the sulfur present in fossil fuel. Both last approaches involve the development of a new tailordesigned
sulfur-free catalyst that may also resist the presence of water with a minimal active phase leaching and catalyst attrition.
Moreover, isomerization of long n-paraffins requires new catalysts with minimal coke formation and cracking activity to reduce
catalyst deactivation and enhance yield on renewable diesel and SAF. It is noteworthy that catalysis has a relevant role to play in a
multidisciplinary effort to decarbonize the transport sector.
Superior hydrocracking using advanced zeolite descriptors
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The Catalyst Review
January 2025

The Catalyst Review January 2025

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