Simultaneous Production of Lactic Acid and Propylene Glycol from Glycerol Using Solid Catalysts without External Hydrogen Supply
Published:4/24/2020Description:
The Problem:
Worldwide biodiesel production is increasing every year with regulatory and socioeconomic incentives to develop renewable fuels and energy. One mole of glycerol is generated along with every mole of triglyceride converted to biodiesel. As a result of the increase in biodiesel production, large amounts of glycerol are produced as a by-product. It is projected that by the year 2020, the supply of glycerol will be six times more than demand. Therefore, development of sustainable processes for utilizing this organic raw material is imperative for the sustainability of biodiesel industry. Glycerol is considered among the 12 top building block chemicals from renewable biomass by the Department of Energy.
Lactic acid has been viewed as a “commodity chemical sleeping giant” due to its multiple reactive functionalities that make it readily convertible into other important commodity chemicals such as ethyl lactate and polylactic acid. Current chemical methods of producing lactic acid from glycerol are either highly corrosive or yield low volumes of output.
Propylene glycol is another important chemical that can be used to make unsaturated polyester resins or as an industrial solvent and functional fluid, or as an additive in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. Current methods of producing propylene glycol from glycerol require an external hydrogen supply and high pressure that may render the process non-viable.
The Technology Solution:
Researchers at the University of Tennessee have developed a method using solid catalysts to simultaneously produce lactic acid and propylene glycol from glycerol in a heterogeneous reaction system without an external hydrogen supply. The method gives higher yield with less harsh reaction condition than previous methods. The tunable yield of lactic acid and propylene glycol is in the range of 50-70% and 17-30%, respectively, with corresponding glycerol conversion of 87-95%. Process modeling and economic analysis show economic viability of the technology.
Lie,Lu, And X. Phillip Ye. "Simultaneous production of lactic acid and propylene glycol from glycerol using solid catalysts without external hydrogen." Fuel Processing Technology 137 (2015)" 55-65.
The Applications:
Bio-based chemical production
The Benefits:
• Directly uses crude glycerol as feedstock
• Simultaneously produces value-added chemicals (lactic acid/propylene glycol)
• Yields higher productivity than previous methods with reusable catalyst
• Results in less corrosion than previous methods
• Reduces operation cost by eliminating the need for high pressure hydrogen supply
• Economically viable technology
The Inventor:
Dr. Xiaofei “Philip” Ye is an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science. His research focuses on the interface between biological systems and engineering processes to enhance the conversion of bio-renewables into energy, chemicals, and materials. Dr. Ye received his M.S. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from South Dakota State University, and his Ph.D. in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering from the University of Minnesota.