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In this project, we have studied the production and analysis of branched saturated fatty acids, which are desirable ingredients in, for example, cosmetics. The reason why branched saturated fatty acids are so desirable is that they possess unique properties among the group of fatty acids. For example, they are resistant to oxidation and are in the liquid state at low temperatures.

In the first part of this project, we have developed materials called zeolite catalysts to more efficiently produce branched saturated fatty acids from branched unsaturated fatty acids. In the following chapters, we developed methods based on the interaction of light with molecules, also called spectroscopy, to follow the fatty acid production process. Measurements were conducted in a custom hydrogenation reactor, in which multiple spectroscopy techniques could be employed simultaneously. As such, we used spectroscopy using infrared light in combination with data analysis methods to track the removal of a by-product in branched unsaturated fatty acids during the hydrogenation reaction. Moreover, we developed an innovative method based on fluorescence spectroscopy to follow the fatty acid hydrogenation reaction itself.

The materials and methods that are described in this dissertation can be used to make the industrial production process of branched saturated fatty acids more efficient and sustainable. Apart from that, the developed methods can be employed in various other reactions in which bio-based feedstocks are converted.