Irene Sierra

Selective hydrogenation of sunflower oil over Ni catalysts

This work focuses on the influence of the support and the preparation method on the activity and selectivity of nickel catalysts in the hydrogenation of sunflower oil. Catalysts were prepared over silica and alumina supports following the incipient wetness impregnation and deposition-precipitation techniques. The activation process was followed by temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). Precipitation-deposition method allowed a stronger metal-support interaction than incipient wetness impregnation. A precipitation-deposition time of 14 h (which allowed a Ni loading of about 20wt%) was deemed as the most adequate from the standpoint of high specific surface area and strong Ni-support interaction. The selectivity to oleic acid was not affected by the preparation method, but it was significantly influenced by the type of support. In this regard, the catalysts prepared on silica are more active and produce less saturated fatty acids.