LAUSR

Palladium/silica (Pd/SiO2) and Pd–M/SiO2 catalysts, where M stands for sodium (Na), calcium (Ca) or barium (Ba), were studied for their catalytic ability in the partial hydrogenation of soybean oil-derived fatty acid methyl esters (SO-FAMEs) using a semibatch reactor under mild reaction conditions (4 bar hydrogen pressure and 80 °C). The catalytic performance, in terms of turnover frequency (TOF), and the selectivity toward (E)-monounsaturated FAMEs (C18:1) were investigated at 11% and 45% diunsaturated FAME (C18:2) conversion levels. The catalysts were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry, temperature-programmed desorption of carbon dioxide, transmission electron microscopy, pulse chemisorption of carbon monoxide, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. On the one hand, the highest TOF was observed with the catalyst with the lowest basic sites on the catalyst surface (Pd–Ba/SiO2) in comparison with the other basic-modified catalysts; on the other hand, the highest selectivity to...