The deoxygenation of palmitic acid into diesel-range hydrocarbons can be promoted over nanocrystalline ceria-based catalysts under atmospheric N<inf>2</inf> or 10% H<inf>2</inf>/N<inf>2</inf> in a fixed-bed flow reactor at 400 °C. Oxygen vacancy sites are active for ketonization of palmitic acid to C<inf>31</inf> ketone and also subsequent cracking of the formed ketone to hydrocarbons. The 22–31% selectivity of C<inf>9</inf> to C<inf>17</inf> liquid hydrocarbons can be achieved at 100% palmitic acid conversion. The deoxygenation under N<inf>2</inf> can be facilitated, presumably by hydrogen transfer from coke precursors. Catalytic activity of ceria-based catalysts can be tuned by pretreatment conditions, type of a carrier gas, or lattice modification.
