Hydrogenation of Vegetable oil to Margarine

The raw materials for the manufacture of margarine are vegetable oils such as palm,
sunflower, rape seed and soya bean oils. The main method used to modify natural
vegetable oils into the fatty base for margarine is by the selective catalytic hydrogenation
of the triglycerides of the unsaturated acids in vegetable oils. This produces hydrogenated
fat and trans-isomers.
i.

Hydrogen + Vegetable oil

Margarine

raw materials: vegetable oils such as palm, sunflower, rape seed and soya bean oils
temperature: 430 K
catalyst: nickel and palladium (finely divided and supported on kieselguhr which is a
form of silica)
Vegetables oils is extracted by high temperature and pressure then the remaining fraction
of oil removed with hexane and other solvents. Oils are now rancid, steam cleaned to
remove all vitamins and antioxidants. After that, oils mixed with a nickel catalyst. Oil
with catalyst subjected to hydrogen gas in high-pressure, high-temperature reactor. Soaplike emulsifiers mixed in. Oil steam cleaned again to remove horrible odor. Gray color
removed by bleaching. Artificial flavors, synthetic vitamins and natural color added.

Hydrogenation to treat with hydrogen is a chemical reaction between molecular

hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such
as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed
to reduce or saturate organic compounds. Hydrogenation typically constitutes the addition of
pairs of hydrogen atoms to a molecule, generally an alkene. Catalysts are required for the
reaction to be usable; non-catalytic hydrogenation takes place only at very high
temperatures. Hydrogenation reduces double and triplebonds in hydrocarbons.[1]
Because of the importance of hydrogen, many related reactions have been developed for its
use. Most hydrogenations use gaseous hydrogen (H2), but some involve the alternative
sources of hydrogen, not H2: these processes are called transfer hydrogenations
Hydrogenation of unsaturated fats produces saturated fats. In
hydrogenation, trans fats may be generated as well.

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Industrial reactors[edit]
Catalytic hydrogenation is done in a tubular plug-flow reactor (PFR) packed with a supported
catalyst. The pressures and temperatures are typically high, although this depends on the
catalyst. Catalyst loading is typically much lower than in laboratory batch hydrogenation, and
various promoters are added to the metal, or mixed metals are used, to improve activity,
selectivity and catalyst stability. The use of nickel is common despite its low activity, due to its
low cost compared to precious metals.
Gas Liquid Induction Reactors (Hydrogenator) are also used for carrying out catalytic
hydrogenation.[