Valorization of glycerol as a key in the environment of biorefineries

COMELLI, RAÚL A.

Torremolinos-Málaga

Congreso; First International Congress on Catalysis for Biorefineries - CATBIOR; 2011

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones científicas - CSIC y Universidad de Málaga

Glycerol, the co-product obtained in the biodiesel process, can play an important role as one key-compound in the environment of future biorefineries. Reactions of dehydration-hydrogenolysis, selective oxidation, and steam reforming of glycerol were studied in order to valorize it and to obtain acetol-propanediols, dihydroxyacetone, and hydrogen, respectively. By considering the dehydration-hydrogenolysis reaction in liquid phase using a commercial copper chromite, the 1,2-propanediol yield was improved conducing the reaction in two steps, the first one in mild conditions and without hydrogen, and the second one with hydrogen pressure. Both prepared Pt/W/Zr(OH)4 and Pt/W/ZrO2 catalysts allowed to obtain 1,3-propanediol, depending the 1,2- to 1,3-propanediol ratio on the preparation technique of these catalysts. Dihydroxyacetone was produced by selective oxidation of glycerol on Pt impregnated on potassium ferrierite, being it an original result because of Pt/C is not selective towards that product needing a second metal to obtain DHA. The steam reforming of glycerol to produce hydrogen took place on Ni impregnated on alumina catalysts; the catalytic behavior depended on the operating conditions, increasing conversion with temperature after 4 h and the same WHSV; the largest hydrogen selectivity was obtained at 650ºC