de Lima, Livia PadilhaMora Vargas, Jorge AndrésRoveda Jr, Antonio CarlosOrduna Ortega, Juliethda Silva, Felipe GarciaCassaro, Rafael FranciscoCardoso, Daniel RodriguesBoscolo, MauricioMetzker, Gustavo2025-07-082025-07-082024de Lima, L. P., Vargas, J. A. M., Roveda, A. C., Ortega, J. O., da Silva, F. G., Cassaro, R. F., Cardoso, D. R., Boscolo, M., & Metzker, G. (2024). From waste to raw chemicals: Catalytic transformation of fusel oil by mixed metal oxides. Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy, 351, 123985. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.APCATB.2024.12398509263373https://repositorio.usc.edu.co/handle/20.500.12421/7284In this study, we detail a catalytic process for the conversion of fusel oil (FO), a by-product of ethanol production considered as waste, into valuable organic compounds, including aldehydes, alkenes, ketones, and alkylbenzenes spanning a carbon chain length from C6 to C12. The reaction was carried out in a fixed bed flow reactor at atmospheric pressure, employing mixed metal oxides (MMO) derived from hydrotalcites (HTC) as catalysts. The HTC were readily synthesized by co-precipitation method involving Mg2+ and Al3+, wherein 20 mol% Mg2+ was substituted by M2+ = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, and MMO obtained by HTC calcination. These catalysts offer cost-effectiveness compared to noble metal-containing ones while exhibiting remarkable activity in dehydrogenation, hydrogenation, and dehydration reactions pivotal for alcohol reactivity. The proposed methodology holds promise for large-scale industrial use and pioneers a fresh avenue for deriving value-added raw chemicals from a renewable carbon source.enFusel oilMixed metal oxidesOrganic building blocksArticle