Recent advancements in catalytic conversion of glycerol into propylene glycol: A review

Abstract

The renewability of bio-glycerol has made it an attractive platform for the production of diverse compounds. Selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propylene glycol (PG) is one of the most promising routes for glycerol valorization, since this compound is an important chemical intermediate in a number of applications. In this article, advancements in the catalytic conversion of glycerol into propylene glycol are reviewed, which include advances in process development, effects of preparation and activation methods on catalytic activity and stability, and the performance of various types of catalysts. The feasibility of using bio-hydrogen and the challenges of utilizing crude glycerol for glycerol hydrogenolysis are also discussed. ARTICLE HISTORY

Synthesis of Biomass‐Derived Ethers for Use as Fuels and Lubricants

“…Glycerol is an inexpensive byproduct of biodiesel production and has emerged as an attractive platform molecule for the production of fuels and specialty chemicals. As mentioned in the introduction, the valorization of glycerol through acetalization, dehydration to acrolein, conversion to 1,3‐propanediol, and other methods has been studied and reviewed extensively; therefore, we will only highlight a few examples of glycerol valorization to fuels and lubricants via direct etherification using solid‐acid catalysts.…”

“…Glyceroli sa ni nexpensive byproduct of biodiesel production and has emergeda sa na ttractive platform molecule fort he production of fuels and specialty chemicals. As mentioned in the introduction, the valorization of glycerolt hrough acetalization, dehydration to acrolein, conversion to 1,3-propanediol, and other methods has been studied and reviewed extensively; [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] therefore, we will only highlight af ew examples of glycerolvalorization to fuels and lubricants via direct etherification using solid-acid catalysts. Brønsted-acid catalystss uch as Amberlyst 70, Amberlyst 15, Amberlyst 35, sulfatedz irconia,s ulfonated silica, and zeolite H-BEA are effective for catalyzing the etherification of glycerol with av ariety of alcohols in the liquid phase.…”

“…Meeting this objective is not easy since etherification can occur by direct etherification of alcohols and reductive etherification alcohols with aldehydes, furans, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and olefins. The etherification of glycerol is also discussed briefly because several recent reviews have discussed glycerolc onversion to ethers, [21,22] solketal, [23,24] acrolein, [25][26][27][28][29] propylene glycol, [30] polymers, [31,32] propanediols, [33,34] glycerol oxidation products, [35] fuel additives, [22,36] and other value-added products. [31,[36][37][38] Williamson ether synthesis and other homogeneousr outes are not discussed as these processes requirec atalyst separation and produce salts.…”

Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Biomass‐Derived Substrates to Value‐Added Chemicals on Dual‐Function Catalysts: Opportunities and Challenges

“…Typical mono‐ and bimetallic catalyst systems include supported Ru, Pt, Pd, Cu, Ni, Co, RuRe, RhRe, IrRe, and PtRe materials. Progress in traditional APH has been critically reviewed in many recent articles . In contrast, APH of xylitol and sorbitol is known to be significantly more complex, although it has gained increasing attention in the past few years.…”

Hydrothermal synthesis of Mo-V mixed oxides possessing several crystalline phases and their performance in the catalytic oxydehydration of glycerol to acrylic acid

“…The depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the need for cleaner energy sources have intensified the search for alternative fuels that are cleaner and less harmful to the environment [1][2][3]. Biodiesel has proved to be a good option and its production involves a simple process that essentially occurs by the transesterification of oils and fats derived from plant and animal sources with short chain alcohols, typically methanol, in the presence of catalysts [4,5].…”