Palladated chitosan-halloysite bead as an efficient catalyst for hydrogenation of lubricants

Considering the synergism between chitosan and halloysite clay, herein, a novel catalytic composite is designed for promoting hydrogenation of poly alpha-olefin (PAO) oils under mild reaction condition. Briefly, naturally occurring chitosan and halloysite have been used for the formation of chitosan-halloysite beads. The beads were subsequently cross-linked and palladated. The reaction variables for the hydrogenation of PAO have been optimized. Moreover, the effect of chitosan: halloysite mass ratio on the performance of the catalyst has been investigated. It was an important factor that affects morphology, Pd average size and loading. It was also found that using 5 wt % catalyst with chitosan: halloysite mass ratio of 1:1 and hydrogen pressure of 8 bar at 130 degrees C, hydrogenated product was achieved in 98% yield. High recyclability and heterogeneous nature of the catalyst were also confirmed. Furthermore, comparative study confirmed positive effect of hybridization of halloysite and chitosan on the catalytic activity.

Automated summary

A novel catalytic composite was designed using the synergism between chitosan and halloysite for promoting hydrogenation of PAO oils; by optimizing reaction conditions and investigating the effect of catalyst composition on performance, high yield of hydrogenated product was achieved; the high recyclability and heterogeneous nature of the catalyst were confirmed in the experiments, and the positive effect of hybridization of halloysite and chitosan on catalytic activity was also validated.