Electrochemical hydrogenation of canola oil using a hydrogen transfer agent

Abstract

A novel low-temperature process for the electrochemical hydrogenation of canola oil is described. An emulsion of oil and water containing formic acid and a nickel hydrogenation catalyst, placed in the cathode compartment of an electrolysis cell and subjected to an electrical current, underwent hydrogenation at temperatures as low as 45°C. At these low temperatures of hydrogenation, the trans FA content of the hydrogenated canola oil was very low as compared with that of the edible oils hydrogenated by commercial processes using high temperature and high partial pressure of hydrogen gas. Because of its adverse health effects, a high trans FA content in edible oils is viewed as undesirable. In addition to the commercially available nickel supported on silica, amorphous nickelphosphorus alloys supported on a variety of substrates were also used. Amorphous alloys are generally very corrosion resistant because of the absence of grain boundaries. A mechanism for hydrogenation using the hydrogen transfer agent of formic acid and its continuous regeneration at the cathode was evoked to explain the experimental data. FIG. 2.Iodine value and trans FA content vs. hydrogen transfer agent for different catalyst loadings (g/L labels for the various plots refer to the catalyst loadings). Reaction conditions: −0.5 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE), 45°C, 0.26 g didodecyl diethyl ammonium (DDAB), pH 3.8.

Low temperature soybean oil hydrogenation by an electrochemical process

“…The formate ion (mediator) is regenerated at the cathode and thus it acts as a shuttle for transferring hydrogen. In addition to soybean, in a separate study (Mondal & Lalvani, 2003b), researchers have also examined canola oil hydrogenation using a mediator-assisted electrochemical approach. This paper examines the role of various process variables, such as surfactant and hydrogen donor concentrations, and the catalyst addition on hydrogenation characteristics.…”

Sensitivity of bifidobacteria to oxygen and redox potential in non-fermented pasteurized milk

“…In the two compartment system used, the fluid in contact with the cathode is submitted to reduction reactions (electroreduction) (Tallec, 1985). This process already has some applications in the food industry (He´kal, 1983;Inoue & Kato, 2003;Koseki, Nakagawa, Tanaka, Noguchi, & Omochi, 2003;Mondal & Lalvani, 2003) but has never been used to influence microbial stability in milk, or to enhance the stability of bifidobacteria.…”

Synthesis of Biokerosene through Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Terpene Hydrocarbons from Turpentine Oil

“…In their study on electrocatalytic hydrogenation of soybean and canola oils using Pt mesh as hydrogenation catalyst as well as the cathode, Mondal and Lalvani [7][8][9] utilized formate ion (supplied as formic acid) as a mediator for transferring hydrogen attoms. The mechanism of the formate-assisted electrocatalytic hydrogenation cycle is provide in Eqs.…”