Saponin is a plant-derived chemical with an amphiphilic glycoconjugate structure extracted from sapindaceae plants like Sapindus rarak. This study investigated saponin extract of Sapindus rarak as a natural template for formation of mesoporous zeolite Y. Surface area and mesoporosity of zeolite Y were improved with optimization of Sapindus rarak extract (SRE) concentration (Y-Ln; n = 2, 5, 10 or 15 mL), reaching 216.26 m2 mesoporous area and 0.214 cm3 g−1 mesoporous volume for Y-L10 samples. A different loading of Ni was impregnated onto Y-L10 zeolite to improve Lewis/Brønsted acidity as catalysts in the deoxygenation of Reutealis trisperma oil (RTO) into hydrocarbon fuels. Impregnating 15% Ni on NaY zeolite enhanced Lewis acidity to 0.4556 mmol g−1, producing 48.8% liquid oil with 85.43% degree of deoxygenation. A high selectivity towards C15 and C17 hydrocarbon was analyzed from liquid yield, indicating the contributing factor from Lewis acidity and mesoporosity to enhance deoxygenation and prevent the hydrocracking reaction.
