Chemoselective catalytic oxidation of glycerol with air on platinum metals

✍ Scribed by Régis Garcia; Michèle Besson; Pierre Gallezot

• Book ID: 103965695
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 535 KB
• Volume: 127
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0926-860X
• DOI: 10.1016/0926-860x(95)00048-8

✦ Synopsis

The transesterification of triglycerides extracted from oilseeds to obtain biodiesel fuel yields up to 14% by weight of glycerol as by-product. The liquid-phase oxidation of glycerol with air on platinum catalysts was investigated to prepare valuable oxidation products such as glyceric acid or dihydroxyacetone. The effect of the pH (pH range 2-11) and of different metal catalysts was studied. The selectivity to glyceric acid can be as high as 70% at 100% conversion on Pd/C at pH 11. On Pt/C catalyst, glyceric acid was still the main product (55% selectivity) ; but the deposition of bismuth on platinum particles orientates the selectivity towards the oxidation of the secondary hydroxyl group to yield dihydroxyacetone with a selectivity of 50% at 70% conversion.