Glycerol Valorization—The Role of Biochar Catalysts
Ana R. P. Gonçalves,
Ana P. C. Ribeiro,
Sofia Orišková,
Luísa M. D. R. S. Martins,
Ana F. Cristino,
Rui Galhano dos Santos
Affiliations
Ana R. P. Gonçalves
CERENA, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Ana P. C. Ribeiro
Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences and Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Sofia Orišková
CERENA, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Luísa M. D. R. S. Martins
Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences and Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Ana F. Cristino
Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences and Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Rui Galhano dos Santos
CERENA, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
The conversion of renewable feedstocks into new added-value products is a current hot topic that includes the biodiesel industry. When converting vegetable oils into biodiesel, approximately 10% of glycerol byproduct is produced. Glycerol can be envisaged as a chemical platform due to its chemical versatility, as a scaffold or building block, in producing a wide range of added-value chemicals. Thus, the development of sustainable routes to obtain glycerol-based products is crucial and urgent. This certainly encompasses the use of raw carbonaceous materials from biomass as heterogeneous acid catalysts. Moreover, the integration of surface functional groups, such as sulfonic acid, in carbon-based solid materials, makes them low cost, exhibiting high catalytic activity with concomitant stability. This review summarizes the work developed by the scientific community, during the last 10 years, on the use of biochar catalysts for glycerol transformation.
