Effect of Ru Nanoparticle Size on Hydrogenation of Soybean Oil.

Four Ru nanoparticles of different mean sizes from 1.13 to 17.22 nm were prepared and used as catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of polyunsaturated soybean oil at 353 K and initial pressure of 1.5 MPa. The catalyst with the smallest mean size (1.13 nm) had the lowest activity, the activity increased as the mean size increased to 3.10 nm, then decreased with further increase in the mean particle size. The cis-trans isomerization rate decreased with the increase in particle size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]