(429d) Glycerol Selective Oxidation: A Reaction Engineering Study
AIChE Annual Meeting
2012
2012 AIChE Annual Meeting
Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division
In Memory of Professor Reuel Shinnar: A Major Contributor to Reaction Engineering
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 - 10:10am to 10:35am
Increase in the production of biodiesel has resulted in an oversupply of glycerol, the primary byproduct which forms in a 1:10 ratio with biodiesel. An effective utilization of glycerol (currently ~$0.02/lb) by conversion to the higher value chemical dihydroxyacetone (DHA; currently ~$20/lb) will enhance the economics of biodiesel production. Towards this end, we have developed a Pt-Bi/C catalyst capable of selective oxidation of the secondary hydroxyl group of glycerol to produce DHA. The catalyst and operating conditions were optimized in a semi-batch reactor to achieve a high yield of DHA (>40%) [1]. A kinetic model for the full 10-step glycerol oxidation network and a simplified kinetic model were also developed [2]. To increase production, a continuous-flow trickle-bed reactor can be utilized. In this direction, the hydrodynamics of trickle-bed reactors have been characterized, particularly with respect to the material attributes of the activated carbon support for our optimal Pt-Bi catalyst. Detailed catalyst, kinetic, and reactor characterization provide a fundamental basis for the development of a continuous-flow process for selective conversion of glycerol to DHA, which in turn will increase the economic viability of biodiesel production.
[1] Hu, W., Knight, D., Lowry, B., Varma, A. Selective oxidation of glycerol to dihydroxyacetone over Pt-Bi/C catalyst: Optimization of catalyst and reaction conditions. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2010, 49 (21), 10876-10882.
[2] Hu, W., Lowry, B., Varma, A. Kinetic study of glycerol oxidation over Pt-Bi/C catalyst. Appl. Catal. B: Environmental 2011, 106 (1-2), 123-132.
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