Hydrogenation of Vegetable oil to MargarineThe raw materials for the manufacture of margarine are vegetable oils such as palm, sunflower, rape seed and soya bean oils. The main method used to modify natural vegetable oils into the fatty base for margarine is by the selective catalytic hydrogenation of the triglycerides of the unsaturated acids in vegetable oils. This produces hydrogenated fat and trans-isomers.i. Hydrogen + Vegetable oil Margarine

raw materials: vegetable oils such as palm, sunflower, rape seed and soya bean oilstemperature: 430 Kcatalyst: nickel and palladium (finely divided and supported on kieselguhr which is a form of silica)

Vegetables oils is extracted by high temperature and pressure then the remaining fraction of oil removed with hexane and other solvents. Oils are now rancid, steam cleaned to remove all vitamins and antioxidants. After that, oils mixed with a nickel catalyst. Oil with catalyst subjected to hydrogen gas in high-pressure, high-temperature reactor. Soap-like emulsifiers mixed in. Oil steam cleaned again to remove horrible odor. Gray color removed by bleaching. Artificial flavors, synthetic vitamins and natural color added.

Hydrogenation to treat withhydrogen is achemical reactionbetween molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of acatalystsuch asnickel,palladiumorplatinum. The process is commonly employed toreduceorsaturateorganic compounds. Hydrogenation typically constitutes the addition of pairs ofhydrogenatomsto a molecule, generally analkene.Catalystsare required for the reaction to be usable; non-catalytic hydrogenation takes place only at very high temperatures. Hydrogenation reducesdoubleandtriplebonds inhydrocarbons.[1]Because of the importance of hydrogen, many related reactions have been developed for its use. Most hydrogenations use gaseous hydrogen (H2), but some involve the alternative sources of hydrogen, not H2: these processes are calledtransfer hydrogenationsHydrogenation ofunsaturated fatsproducessaturated fats. In the case of partial hydrogenation,trans fatsmay be generated as well.Industrial reactors[edit]Catalytic hydrogenation is done in atubular plug-flow reactor(PFR) packed with a supported catalyst. The pressures and temperatures are typically high, although this depends on the catalyst. Catalyst loading is typically much lower than in laboratory batch hydrogenation, and various promoters are added to the metal, or mixed metals are used, to improve activity, selectivity and catalyst stability. The use of nickel is common despite its low activity, due to its low cost compared to precious metals.Gas Liquid Induction Reactors (Hydrogenator) are also used for carrying out catalytic hydrogenation.[