Ni-B catalyst with metal modifiers for partial hydrogenation of fatty acid methyl esters at mild conditions.

A low-cost Ni-B alloy catalyst was prepared by chemical reduction method and used for partial hydrogenation of fatty acid methyl esters. The conditions for catalyst preparation, including Ni to B ratio, pH of NaBH4 solution, types and quantity of metal modifiers were optimized. Ni-La-B, prepared by modification of Ni-B with La, showed significantly high catalytic partial hydrogenation activity. The optimum textural properties (small particle size, high specific surface area and well-defined pore structure) and electron enrichment of active Ni sites were the favorable factors for the high hydrogenation activity of Ni-La-B catalyst, which showed reasonable stability in catalyst recycle experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]