Partial hydrogenation of sunflower oil: comparison study of Pd catalyst supported on ceramic monolith and commercial Ni catalyst

SANCHEZ J.; TONETTO G.; DAMIANI D.

Seul, Corea.

Congreso; 14th International Congress On Catalysis; 2008

Studies on the hydrogenation of sunflower oil using a ceramic monolithic catalyst were performed. The sample was prepared by washcoating the substrate (cordierite, 400 cpsi) in an aqueous slurry of the Pd/Al2O3 catalyst. The monolithic catalyst was active for hydrogenation of sunflower oil, selective towards cis-C18:1, and required a lower reaction temperature and metal loading than conventional Ni-catalyst. It was used in three subsequent hydrogenation batches, without significant changes in activity or selectivity. The utilization of a monolithic catalyst avoids the filtration step. This would represent a substantial reduction in the hydrogenation process cost, even if Pd is more expensive than Ni.