As a result of the production of biofuels, the formation of glycerol increased enormously. This by-product is mainly transformed selectively into glycols or acrolein used for the synthesis of functionalized polymers and application as textile fibers. [1] Here we introduce a new approach for a multi-catalysis cascade (MCC) to convert glycerol into polypropylene derivatives. A chromatographic micro reactor was used to investigate the reaction steps in detail including the acid-catalyzed dehydration of glycerol with mesoporous SBA material, the hydrogenation of carbon double bonds by the use of palladium nanoparticles and the aldol reaction. With regard to our experiences in on-column reaction gas chromatography (ocRGC) we studied single steps of the reaction sequence under constant and defined reaction conditions by integration of catalytic activity and separation selectivity in one capillary reactor. [2] Based on these insights we developed a sequential one-pot synthesis for the multi-component catalytic conversion of glycerol into aliphatic hydrocarbons. This reveals a potential utilization of a renewable source. [1] A. M. Ruppert, K. Weinberg, R. Palkovits, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 2564-2601. [2] (a) J. Troendlin, J. Rehbein, M. Hiersemann, O. Trapp, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 16444-16450; (b) O. Trapp, S. K. Weber, S. Bauch, W. Hofstadt, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 7307-7310.

From glycerol to gasoline: A new approach for the utilization of a renewable source

249th National Meeting (2015)

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