(46c) Glycerol to Gasoline Conversion

Conversion of renewable feedstocks to biofuels has gained attention for commercialization and further research. Glycerol is a byproduct in the production of biodiesel from transesterification of vegetable oil. Conversion of glycerol to fuel is of interest in terms of utilizing a large byproduct for production and upgrading of biofuels. Glycerol to gasoline conversion was performed using acid catalysts, including HZSM-5, HZSM-11, ZSM-22, HY, HMOR, and H-OMEGA. The results show that the pore geometry of the zeolite affects the product distribution obtained from the reaction. Three dimensional pore zeolites, for instance, HZSM-5, HZSM-11, and HY zeolites tend to produce aromatics. Although, the pressure was elevated to 300 psig, aromatics were still produced from the three dimensional zeolite catalysts. However, no aromatics were produced from 20%HMOR, 40%HMOR, and H-OMEGA, all with one dimensional pore structures. The products observed from the reaction included formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetol, etc. Cyclic ethers were produced from all catalysts tested when ethylene glycol was used as reactant feed.