Highly selective transformation of glycerol to dihydroxyacetone without using oxidants by a PtSb/C-catalyzed electrooxidation process. Issue 9 (10th February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lee, Seonhwa; Kim, Hyung Ju; Lim, Eun Ja; Kim, Youngmin; Noh, Yuseong; Huber, George W.; Kim, Won Bae
• Is Part Of: Green chemistry. Volume 18:Issue 9(2016)
• Page Start: 2877
• Page End: 2887
• Publication Date: 2016-02-10
• Subjects: Environmental chemistry -- Industrial applications -- Periodicals; Environmental management -- Periodicals; 660
• DOI: 10.1039/c5gc02865e
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1463-9262

Abstract

Abstract : The PtSb/C catalyzed highly selective transformation of glycerol to dihydroxyacetone and H2 was achieved by controlling the applied electrode potential without using oxidants via an electrocatalytic reactor system in acidic media. Abstract : We demonstrate an electrocatalytic reactor system for the partial oxidation of glycerol in an acidic solution to produce value-added chemicals, such as dihydroxyacetone (DHA), glyceraldehyde (GAD), glyceric acid (GLA), and glycolic acid (GCA). Under optimized conditions, the carbon-supported bimetallic PtSb (PtSb/C) catalyst was identified as a highly active catalyst for the selective oxidation of glycerol in the electrocatalytic reactor. The product selectivity can be strongly controlled as a function of the applied electrode potential and the catalyst surface composition. The main product from the electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol was DHA, with a yield of 61.4% of DHA at a glycerol conversion of 90.3%, which can be achieved even without using any oxidants over the PtSb/C catalyst at 0.797 V ( vs. SHE, standard hydrogen electrode). The electrocatalytic oxidation of biomass-derived glycerol represents a promising method of chemical transformation to produce value-added molecules.