Direct preparation of dichloropropanol (DCP) from glycerol using heteropolyacid (HPA) catalysts: A catalyst screen study

Direct preparation of dichloropropanol (DCP) from glycerol was carried out in a batch reactor using H3PMo12−XWXO40 (X = 0–12), H4SiMo12−XWXO40 (X = 0–12), H3+XPW12−XVXO40 (X = 0–3), and H3+XPMo12−XVXO40 (X = 0–3) heteropolyacid (HPA) catalysts. Acid properties of the HPA catalysts were then determined by NH3-TPD measurements in order to correlate the catalytic activity with the acid property of the catalysts. The acid strength of the HPA catalyst played a key role in determining the catalytic performance in the reaction. The selectivity for DCP increased with increasing acid strength of the catalyst. Among the catalysts tested, H3PW12O40 with the highest acid strength showed the best catalytic performance.