Recent Advances on the Valorization of Glycerol into Alcohols

Glycerol, a highly functionalised polyol, can be used as a platform molecule to produce a variety of high-value chemicals. As glycerol production is projected to increase over the coming years, it’s critically important that technology and infrastructure are developed to make use of the inevitable s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnergies (Basel) Vol. 15; no. 17; p. 6250
Main Authors Smith, Louise R, Douthwaite, Mark, Mugford, Karl, Dummer, Nicholas F, Willock, David J, Hutchings, Graham J, Taylor, Stuart H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2022
Subjects
Alcohol
Alcohols
Biodiesel fuels
Biofuels
biomass
catalysis
Chemicals
Fatty acids
Glycerin
Glycerol
Hydrogen
liquid fuels
Metal oxides
methanol
Oxidation
Reagents
sustainability
Triglycerides
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Summary:Glycerol, a highly functionalised polyol, can be used as a platform molecule to produce a variety of high-value chemicals. As glycerol production is projected to increase over the coming years, it’s critically important that technology and infrastructure are developed to make use of the inevitable surplus. The catalytic production of ‘green’ mono alcohols from glycerol, in the absence of H2, is an emerging area of research that, in recent years, has generated significant industrial interest. Herein, we provide an update on recent advances in this field and discuss challenges which need to be overcome if this approach is to be considered viable industrially. The economic significance of using crude glycerol as a feedstock for glycerol valorisation strategies is also addressed and suggestions for improving the impact of research conducted in this field are proposed.
ISSN:1996-1073
1996-1073
DOI:10.3390/en15176250