Application of Pd/MWCNTs Catalyst in Ultrasound-Assisted Catalytic Transfer of Hydrogenated Soybean Oil

To provide a new, safe, and efficient way to produce hydrogenated oils, a loaded Pd/MWCNTs catalyst is studied and applied to the catalytic transfer of soybean oil under ultrasound conditions. Pd is loaded onto multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by impregnation, and the Pd loading is approximate to 0.8%. Through X-ray diffraction analysis, it is found that the characteristic emission peaks of Pd appear at the 2 theta = 40.3 degrees, 46.7 degrees, and 68.2 degrees locations. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy reveals that the catalyst is uniformly dispersed and less agglomerated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra show that Pd is successfully loaded onto MWCNTs. Pd/MWCNTs catalyst is then applied to the catalytic transfer of hydrogenated soybean oil. The results show that when ultrasonic power is 100 W, catalyst concentration is 2.0% w/w, hydrogenation temperature is 80 degrees C, donor concentration is 0.32 mol/50 mL H2O, the maximum hydrogenation conversion is 31.97%, and the content of trans-fatty acid is only 1.52%. Pd/MWCNTs catalyst can be recycled for four times in catalytic hydrogenation of soybean oil, and the activity of the catalyst decreases to 78.5% at the fourth time.