Bio-oils are an attractive source of energy with many advantages over the
use of fossil fuels. However, bio-oils present corrosiveness, high viscosity and
low heating value associated with their high oxygen content. Therefore, before
its application as a transport fuel, it needs to be improved. In this sense,
catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is one of the most promising biofuel
upgrading processes. However, conventional catalysts for HDO based on Co-
Mo and Ni-Mo (both sulfidated) or noble metals, still have certain
disadvantages. Despite their high activity, sulfidated catalysts progressively
deactivate due to oxidation of the active phase in addition to promoting sulfur
contamination of the final products [1]. Therefore, the development of cheap
catalysts that have high resistance to deactivation and high catalytic activity is
one of the main objectives of this field of research. Catalysts based on
transition metal carbides improve the properties of their precursor metals
avoiding their high production price. Furthermore, porous carbon supports like
carbon nanofibers (CNF) have been widely applied as catalyst supports [2,3]
for liquid-phase reactions due to their excellent textural properties, as well as
their stability in the presence of superheated water.