Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
also be used as the target for chemical modification. Examples include reduction
to fatty alcohols or esterification with other alcohols including vinyl alcohols for
monomer synthesis [104, 225, 226].
In other instances triglycerides are used as a feedstock for fuel production
[227], either via MeOH transesterification to give FAMEs, or decarboxylation to
give long chain hydrocarbons (Figure 4.19). It is from the production of biodiesel
where the glycerol by-product is typically envisaged to be sourced as a platform
molecule and the commodity chemicals that can be derived from glycerol are
very diverse, some examples of which are shown in Figure 4.19 [227-235].
HO
OH
1, 3-propanediol
O
OH
OMe
Biodiesel
R
OH
Propylene glycol
O
Cl
Epichlorohydrin
O
Esterification
O
O
R
HO
OH
O
Dihydroxyacetone
R
O
OR
R
OH
O
O
O
Tr iglyceride
OH
Decarboxylation
Lactic acid
OH
R
Long-chain
alkanes
and olefins
Tr ans-esterification
R
Quinolines
Hydrogenation
N
OH
Derivative
s
HO
OH
O
Green diesel
Acrolein
Glycerol
H
O
Acrylic acid
OH
O
O
Glycerol carbonate
O
OH
O
Solketal
O
OH
ONO
2
Nitroglycerine
O
2
NO
ONO
2
Figure 4.19
Triglyceride platform: fuels from fatty acids and commodity chemicals from
glycerol.
