Continuous decarboxylation of lauric acid over Pd/C catalyst

Catalytic deoxygenation of lauric acid in a solvent was studied in a continuous fixed bed reactor over Pd/C. The main emphasis was put on studying the effect of catalyst mass, initial concentration of lauric acid, solvent and catalyst reactivation. The conversion of lauric acid declined substantially to a steady state level within 10-20 min of time-on-stream. The decisive factor for the catalyst deactivation was the amount of lauric acid which contacted the catalyst. The reason for catalyst deactivation is poisoning and coking. The catalyst reactivation with hydrogen did not restore its activity. The selectivity to the desired products, undecane and undecene was very high under all conditions, being above 95%. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.