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Acrolein Production from Crude Glycerol in Sub- and Super-Critical Water

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

Abstract

To better understand the effects of water properties on the reaction characteristics of acrolein production from glycerol, dehydration of refined glycerol and crude glycerol was comparatively conducted in both sub- and super-critical water states, and the effect of changing water properties was studied to optimize the reaction conditions. The effects of reaction temperature, pressure, residence time, water/glycerol ratio, and catalyst concentration on the yields and distribution of chemical products were also examined. Acrolein yield >80 mol% from both refined glycerol and crude glycerol can be achieved by controlling water properties in the sub-critical water state with the addition of sulfuric acid as a homogeneous catalyst and the formation of undesired acetaldehyde and propionaldehyde can be greatly restrained. These results provide valuable information for the production of value-added chemicals from crude glycerol.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the United Soybean Board project No. USB#9493, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture HATCH project No. TEN00325.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, The University of Tennessee, 2506 E. J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-4514, USA

    Leming Cheng, Lu Liu & X. Philip Ye

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  1. Leming Cheng
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  2. Lu Liu
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  3. X. Philip Ye
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Correspondence to X. Philip Ye.

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Cheng, L., Liu, L. & Ye, X.P. Acrolein Production from Crude Glycerol in Sub- and Super-Critical Water. J Am Oil Chem Soc 90, 601–610 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-012-2189-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-012-2189-5

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