Palladium‐Catalyzed Transformation of Renewable Oils into Diesel Components

A size-controlled palladium nanoparticle catalyst prepared by adsorption of colloidal palladium nanoparticles on barium sulfate is efficient and highly selective in transforming vegetable oils into diesel-like fuel. Preliminary kinetic investigations using model compounds indicated that decarboxylation of aliphatic esters on palladium in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere showed a zero-order rate. Hydrogen temperature-programmed desorption measurements revealed that the high-temperature desorption of hydrogen species might be the rate-determining step.