Glycerol Dehydration to Acrolein Catalyzed by Silicotungstic Acid: Effect of Mesoporous Support

To facilitate value-added chemical production from renewable glycerol, gas-phase glycerol dehydration to acrolein was conducted using supported silicotungstic acid as solid catalysts, focusing on the effects of mesoporous catalyst supports catalytic performance. One alumina (Al) support with average mesopore size 30 nm and two silica (Si1254 Si1252) 6 11 nm, respectively, were comparatively evaluated in this study. It found that Si1254 smallest pore (6 nm) deactivated fastest, decreasing both conversion selectivity along time-on-stream. The other Si1252 provided an yield comparable Al over tested 7.5 h time-on-stream (73.9 mol% for vs. 74.1 Al). However, mechanisms achieving are different. showed higher than Al, but it also faster due its quicker coking. On hand, more stable performance terms rate less coking, had lower a byproducts, especially undesired byproducts acetaldehyde propionaldehyde, which posed difficulties downstream separation.