SYNTHESIS OF A LOW TRANS-CONTENT EDIBLE OIL, NON-EDIBLE OIL OR FATTY ACID IN A SOLID POLYMER ELECTROLYTE REACTOR

摘要

An electrochemical catalytic process for hydrogenating an unsaturated fatty acid, mixtures of two or more fatty acids having different degrees of unsaturation, or the unsaturated fatty acid constituents of an edible or non-edible oil's triglycerides is performed using a solid polymer electrolyte reactor. The anode and cathode catalyst materials are used to fabricate membrane electrode assemblies consisting of a cation exchange membrane onto which porous anode and cathode electrodes are attached. As the electrodes are permeable, reactant and products enter and leave the membrane/cathode and membrane/anode reaction zones via the back sides of the electrodes. During the electrochemical oil hydrogenation process, hydrogen is generated in situ by the electroreduction of protons that are formed at the anode and which migrate through the ion exchange membrane for reaction with the unsaturated fatty acids. A novel partially hydrogenated oil product selected from the group consisting of a partially hydrogenated fatty acid, a partially hydrogenated triglyceride, or mixtures thereof is produced by the disclosed process.