Metrics of acrylonitrile: From biomass vs. petrochemical route

• We evaluate if the glycerol-based technology for acrylonitrile synthesis is more advantageous than the propane one.
• We show that the catalytic conversion of glycerol is an interesting Green Chemistry alternative to valorize renewables.
• The study shows how it is possible to assess the viability of a process, underlining the value of green metrics.

The purpose of this study is to analyze a new route for acrylonitrile production using a renewable starting material (mainly, glycerol) as a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil routes. This paper forms part of a special issue devoted to Green Metrics in which a metrics methodology is presented and is then applied to different processes in order to assess renewable routes compared to petrochemical alternatives. In this paper, the objective is to assess the glycerol-based technology for acrylonitrile synthesis in comparison with fossil-source based propane route; with regards to waste minimization in the context of green chemistry and sustainability. The analysis will be made based on activity data already published. This analysis shows that the catalytic conversion of glycerol into acrylonitrile is an interesting Green Chemistry alternative to valorize this renewable.

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