Green acid catalyst obtained from industrial wastes for glycerol etherification

Author(s)

Goncalves, Maraisa ^{[1, 2]} ; Castro, Cinthia S. ^[3] ; Oliveira, Luiz C. A. ^[4] ; Carvalho, Wagner A. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Fed Univ ABC, Ctr Nat & Human Sci, BR-09210170 Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Sci & Technol, BR-12231280 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Alfenas, Inst Sci & Technol, BR-37715400 Pocos De Caldas, MG - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Chem, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Fuel Processing Technology; v. 138, p. 695-703, OCT 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

In this work several carbonaceous wastes (glycerin (G), waste coffee grounds (WC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) were successfully used as precursors to obtain carbon-based catalysts to transform crude glycerol (from biodiesel production) into value added compounds through glycerol etherification. The X-ray diffraction data showed that the produced carbons are amorphous materials. MEV/EDS analyses showed much dispersed surface groups with an increased amount of sulfur (3.5 to 82%). Very promising results were obtained for glycerol etherification, reaching about 80% conversion and a high selectivity for the MTBG species (3-tert-butoxy-1,2-propanediol). The catalysts obtained from PET and WC wastes lead to the highest glycerol conversion and selectivity for MTBG, probably due to the higher acidity. These successful results suggest that these catalysts can be applied for glycerol waste conversion in order to obtain value added compounds. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/22264-4 - Utilization of lignocelulosic and glycerol wastes for production of catalysts with acidic properties
• Grantee: Maraisa Gonçalves
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/21160-6 - Catalytic conversion of glycerol and acetol promoted by metal nanoparticles supported on carbon and molecular sieves
• Grantee: Wagner Alves Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/18529-0 - Preparation of activated carbon with high surface area from biodiesel waste
• Grantee: Maraisa Gonçalves
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Young Researchers