Aqueous-phase catalytic hydrogenation of methyl esters of Cynara cardunculus alternative low-cost non-edible oil: A useful concept to resolve the food, fuel and environment issue of sustainable biodiesel

•Alternative, low-cost, non-edible oil of Cynara cardunculus.•Selective hydrogenation of methyl esters of C. cardunculus oil for the first time.•Sustainable production of upgraded 2nd generation biodiesel fuel.•High catalytic activities by water-soluble Ru/TPPTS complexes (TOF = 40,000 h−1).•Green aqueous medium.

Cynara cardunculus a perennial thistle grown wild on marginal lands abandoned from agricultural use without competition with food plants is recently recognized as a low-cost multipurpose energy crop with a high potential for industrial applications inter alia biodiesel production. The selective hydrogenation of polyunsaturated methyl esters of C. cardunculus alternative non-edible oil to their monounsaturated counterparts catalyzed by industrially applied water-soluble Ru/TPPTS complexes [TPPTS = trisulfonated triphenylphosphine, P(C6H4-m-SO3Na)3] in green aqueous media to obtain biodiesel with superior oxidative stability energy and environmental performance at a low pour point could represent an elegant and useful approach to resolve the food, fuel and environment trilemma of sustainable biodiesel production.