Advances for Biorefineries: Glycerol Hydrogenolysis to 1,3-Propylene Glycol

GATTI, MARTIN NICOLÁS; NICHIO, NORA NANCY; POMPEO, FRANCISCO

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MDPI

Año: 2022 vol. 3 p. 451 - 498

Humanity’s growing dependence on non-renewable resources and the ensuing environmentalimpact thus generated have spurred the search for alternatives to replace chemicals andenergy obtained from petroleum derivatives. Within the group of biofuels, biodiesel has managed toexpand worldwide at considerable levels, going from 20 million tn/year in 2010 to 47 million tn/yearin 2022, boosting the supply of glycerol, a by-product of its synthesis that can be easily used as arenewable, clean, low-cost raw material for the manufacture of products for the chemical industry.The hydrogenolysis of glycerol leads to the production of glycols, 1,2-propylene glycol (1,2-PG)and 1,3-propylene glycol (1,3-PG). In particular, 1,3-PG has the highest added value and has multipleuses including its application as an additive in the polymer industry, the manufacture of cosmetics,cleaning products, cooling liquids, etc. This review focuses on the study of the hydrogenolysis ofglycerol for the production of 1,3-PG, presenting the main reaction mechanisms and the catalystsemployed, both in liquid and vapor phase. Engineering aspects and the effect of the operatingvariables to achieve maximum yields are discussed. Finally, studies related to the stability and themain deactivation mechanisms of catalytic systems are presented.