One-pot supercritical transesterification and partial hydrogenation of soybean oil in the presence of Pd/Al2O3 or Cu or Ni catalyst without H2

Abstract

This study examined a possibility of commercial Pd/Al2O3, Ni, and Cu as a catalyst for one-pot reaction combining transesterification and partial hydrogenation in supercritical methanol without H2 to produce methyl oleate for bio-refinery or biodiesel with improved fuel quality. The one-pot reaction at different reaction conditions (temperature, pressure, molar ratio of methanol to oil, and reaction time) was conducted to identify the effect of the catalysts and the conditions. Although the one-pot reaction was affected by the catalysts and the conditions, it was inadequate to control the reaction by changing the conditions. Therefore, an attempt to synthesize an appropriate catalyst appears to be essential. Also, decomposition of glycerol and reduction of a catalyst in supercritical methanol were confirmed and verified. Consequently, this result could be helpfull to understand the characteristics of the reaction according to catalysts and conditions and determine a proper metal catalyst for the production of C18:1.