A new catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of sunflower seed oil

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Abstract
A new Ni catalyst supported on sepiolite has been prepared by the precipitation/deposition method. Its activity and selectivity was tested in the hydrogenation reaction of sunflower seed oil. The variables studied were active phase concentration, reaction temperature and stirring speed. For contrasting purposes, a commercial catalyst designed for the same objective by Süd Chemie A.G. (Munich, Germany), G‐53, was also tested under the same set of conditions. Selectivity to oleic acid with the new catalyst was appreciably better. The activation energies obtained with both catalyst were of the same order and within the range of those found in the literature for conventional nickel catalysts.