Sustainable Process for the Synthesis of Value-Added Products Using Glycerol as a Useful Raw Material

The growth of the production of biodiesel has led to an overproduction of crude glycerol as a by-product. In order to secure the competitiveness of the biodiesel industry, the utilization of crude glycerol is emerging as a new and challenging research field. This review paper summarizes the glycerol conversion technology published by our laboratory for the production of value-added chemicals, in four categories: (1) glycerol steam reforming for hydrogen production; (2) glycerol hydrogenolysis into 1, 2-propanediol; (3) glycerol dehydration for acrolein production; and (4) glycerolysis of urea for glycerol carbonate production. We consider that the suggested catalysts are desirable candidates for the production of each chemical from glycerol. Further studies of the demonstration of pilot plant and process optimization are needed for commercial applications.