Study on the Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Soybean Oil under H₂ Conditions

Abstract

The solubility of H₂ in electrolytes, H₂ reaction consumption and the conductivity of electrolytes under different pressures in an electrochemical hydrogenation reactor were studied. It was found that with an increase in H₂ pressure, H₂ was electrolyzed at the anode, accompanied by the generation of H⁺. The solubility of H₂ in the electrolytes and the conductivity of the electrolytes also increased. At first, the reaction consumption increased, followed by a tendency to be stable at 3 MPa. Therefore, the electrochemical hydrogenation of soybean oil was carried out at a H₂ pressure of 3 MPa. When the current was 120 mA, the temperature was 50°C, the agitation speed was 300 rpm, and the time was 7.5 h, the IV of hydrogenated soybean oil was 99.6 g I₂/100 g oil, and the TFA content of the oil was 4.3%.