Abstract: Supported palladium catalysts on mesoporous carbons (CMC) were prepared by liquid phase reduction and used for the hydrogenation of β-sitosterol to β-sitostanol. Compared to Pd/AC (active carbon), the Pd/CMC catalysts showed significantly higher activity for the hydrogenation of large molecules due to their larger pore size.

Key words: palladium, active carbon, supported catalyst, mesoporous carbon, pore size effect, microcalorimetric adsorption, β-sitosterol, hydrogenation, β-sitostanol