Catalytic decomposition of soybean oil in the presence of different zeolites.

The catalytic decomposition of soybean oil was studied in a fz bed reactor at 673 anti 773 K and using amorphous silica-alumina and the zeolites USY, H-Mordenite and H-ZSM-5 as catalysts. Both the selectivity and the catalytic activity were determined by studying the product composition resulting from the chemical reactions. Physicochemical characteristics of the catalysts were obtained by X-ray fluorescence, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, Si-29 and Al-27 Nuclear Magnetic Ressonance and textural analysis. The zeolites USY and H-ZSM-5 showing higher Bronsted acidity, yielded products with higher concentration in aromatic hydrocarbons, whereas with both H-Mordenite and amorphous silica-alumina the main products were paraffins.