Recent Advances on the Valorization of Glycerol into Alcohols

Louise R. Smith; Mark Douthwaite; Karl Mugford; Nicholas F. Dummer; David J. Willock; Graham J. Hutchings; Stuart H. Taylor

LAPSE

Living Archive for Process Systems Engineering

LAPSE:2023.10025

Published Article

LAPSE:2023.10025

Recent Advances on the Valorization of Glycerol into Alcohols

Louise R. Smith, Mark Douthwaite, Karl Mugford, Nicholas F. Dummer, David J. Willock, Graham J. Hutchings, Stuart H. Taylor

February 27, 2023

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.

Record ID

LAPSE:2023.10025

Keywords

Biomass, Catalysis, glycerol, liquid fuels, Methanol, Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Subject

Materials

Suggested Citation

Smith LR, Douthwaite M, Mugford K, Dummer NF, Willock DJ, Hutchings GJ, Taylor SH. Recent Advances on the Valorization of Glycerol into Alcohols. (2023). LAPSE:2023.10025

Author Affiliations

Smith LR: Max Planck-Cardiff Centre on the Fundamentals of Heterogeneous Catalysis FUNCAT, Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK [ORCID]
Douthwaite M: Max Planck-Cardiff Centre on the Fundamentals of Heterogeneous Catalysis FUNCAT, Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
Mugford K: Max Planck-Cardiff Centre on the Fundamentals of Heterogeneous Catalysis FUNCAT, Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
Dummer NF: Max Planck-Cardiff Centre on the Fundamentals of Heterogeneous Catalysis FUNCAT, Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK [ORCID]
Willock DJ: Max Planck-Cardiff Centre on the Fundamentals of Heterogeneous Catalysis FUNCAT, Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
Hutchings GJ: Max Planck-Cardiff Centre on the Fundamentals of Heterogeneous Catalysis FUNCAT, Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK [ORCID]
Taylor SH: Max Planck-Cardiff Centre on the Fundamentals of Heterogeneous Catalysis FUNCAT, Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK [ORCID]

Journal Name

Energies

Volume

15

Issue

17

First Page

6250

Year

2022

Publication Date

2022-08-27