Synthesis of Methyl-Oleate from Methyl 12-Hydroxystearate Using Modified Vanadia Pillared Clay

This study investigates the synthesis of vanadia-pillared clay (V-PILC) and nickel-doped vanadia-pillared clays (Ni-V-PILCs) as catalysts for the dehydration of methyl-12-hydroxy stearate, aiming to produce methyl oleate predominantly. The catalysts were synthesized using the pillaring method and were doped with varying concentrations of nickel (2.5–12.5 wt%). Characterization techniques employed included X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, pore structure assessment, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ammonia temperature-programmed desorption (NH₃-TPD) to evaluate their properties. Catalytic activity tests revealed that while the V-PILC demonstrated a slightly higher conversion rate (99.93%) compared to the Ni-V-PILCs (97–99%), the nickel-doped variants exhibited superior product yields (84.98% vs. 74.11%). These vanadia-pillared clay catalysts, along with their nickel-doped counterparts, show high catalytic efficiency, reduce the number of derivatization steps, and offer an environmentally sustainable alternative for producing methyl oleate.

Graphical Abstract