Operando fluorescence spectroscopy for evaluating the activity of fatty acid hydrogenation catalysts

Jelle W. Bos, P. Tim Prins, Joris C.L. Janssens, Ramon Oord, Thimo S. Jacobs, Robin Vogel, Matteo Monai, Eelco T.C. Vogt, Bert M. Weckhuysen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Here, we report for the first time on operando fluorescence spectroscopy for liquid-phase reaction monitoring at elevated temperature and pressure. We show that it is a powerful tool for studying the hydrogenation of branched unsaturated fatty acids with zeolite and palladium catalysts. During the reaction, fluorescent impurities reacted with the zeolite, leading to a redshift of the fluorescence spectrum, which could be suppressed by hydrogenation. A strong correlation was found between the redshift of the spectrum and the hydrogenation activity of the catalysts, which can be used as a proxy. We discovered that unsaturated fatty acids were not responsible for the redshift, but that it was likely caused by fluorophores reacting on the zeolite. Experiments using a model fluorophore showed that the feedstock fluorophores are likely polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We believe that this tool can be used in industrial fatty acid hydrogenation reactors to predict the endpoint of the hydrogenation.
Original languageEnglish
Article number101390
JournalChem Catalysis
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 20 May 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier Inc.

Funding

This work is part of the Launchpad for Innovative Future Technology (LIFT) program of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The project is co-financed by Cargill, BASF, VibSpec, and NWO. Rosie Kijne, Henk de Heij, and Marvin Burger (all working for Cargill) are thanked for their help with the analyses of the reactants and reaction products. Leon Smit, Sophie Wiedemann, and Leo van Dongen (all working for Cargill) are thanked for their help with organizing the sample analysis. Oscar Kerkenaar (working for Utrecht University) is thanked for his work on modifying the reactor cooling.

FundersFunder number
VibSpec
Launchpad for Innovative Future Technology
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
BASF
Leo van Dongen

    Keywords

    • SDG7: Affordable and clean energy
    • SDG9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
    • biomass
    • fatty acids
    • fluorescence
    • hydrogenation
    • metal catalysis
    • online analysis
    • operando spectroscopy
    • zeolite catalysis

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