Heterogeneous catalytic conversion of glycerol to oxygenated fuel additives

• Reaction of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol and acetone in flow reactor.
• Zeolite-BEA converts glycerol completely into the mixture of solketal and STBE.
• Yield of STBE in 1-mono-GTBE ketalisation depends inversely from temperature.
• The introduction of solketal into hydrocarbon oil improves its antiwear properties.
• Solketal is the most effective antiwear agent from all the ethers formed.

Glycerol alkylation with tert-butyl alcohol and ketalisation of glycerol 1-mono-tert-butyl ether with acetone, as well as the combined ketalisation–alkylation process, has been studied in a fixed-bed flow reactor. It has been shown that a continuous, one-step process for the quantitative conversion of glycerol into a mixture of ethers can be accomplished under mild conditions (atmospheric pressure and temperatures of 40–70 °C) over a zeolite BEA catalyst. Furthermore, the effects of the glycerol ether additives on the antiwear properties of low-viscosity base oil have been characterised.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide