Continuous slurry hydrogenation of soybean oil with copper-chromite catalyst at high pressure

Selective hydrogenation of soybean oil to reduce linolenic acid is accomplished better with copper than with nickel catalysts. However, the low activity of copper catalysts at low pressure and the high cost of batch equipment for high-pressure hydrogenation has precluded their commercial use so far. To evaluate continuous systems as an alternative, soybean oil was hydrogenated in a 120 ft × 1/8 in. tubular reactor with copper catalyst. A series of hydrogenations were performed according to a statistical design by varying processing conditions: oil flow (0.5 L/hr, 1.0 L/hr and 2.0 L/hr), reaction temperature (180 C and 200 C), hydrogen pressure (1,100 psig and 4,500 psig) and catalyst concentration (0.5% and 1.0%). An iodine value (IV) drop of 8–43 units was observed in the products whereas selectivity varied between 7 and 9. Isomerization was comparable to that observed with a batch reactor. Analysis of variance for isomerization indicated interaction between catalyst concentration and hydrogen pressure and between catalyst concentration and temperature. The influence of pressure on linolenate selectivity was different for different temperatures and pressure. Hydrogenation rate was significantly affected by pressure, temperature and catalyst concentration.