Selective Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol to 1,2-Propanediol: Comparison of Batch and Continuous Process Operations

• Published in: Organic process research & development Vol. 14; no. 6; pp. 1385 - 1392
• Main Authors: Rode, C. V, Ghalwadkar, A. A, Mane, R. B, Hengne, A. M, Jadkar, S. T, Biradar, N. S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 19.11.2010
• ISSN: 1083-6160; 1520-586X
• DOI: 10.1021/op1001897

The screening of copper chromite catalysts with various promoters such as Al, Zn, and Ba for glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) in a batch reaction showed that Cu−Cr (Ba) catalyst gave the highest conversion of 34% and selectivity of 84% to 1,2-PDO. In a continuous operation (23 g catalyst bed) the same catalyst showed higher conversion of glycerol and selectivity for 1,2-PDO of 65% and >90%, respectively, with an on-stream activity of ∼800 h. Better performance in a continuous operation could be due to the in situ activation of the catalyst, suppression of glycerol cracking to ethylene glycol, as well as excessive hydrogenation of 1,2-PDO to 2-propanol due to lower contact time of 1.3 h as compared to that in a batch operation (5 h). Effects of various process parameters on conversion and selectivity also have been compared for batch and continuous operations.