Sustainable production of allyl alcohol
Allyl alcohol is an industrially important substance, primarily used as an intermediate in the production of various organic compounds. Current processes for the production of allyl alcohol are based on fossil fuels and thus environmentally unfriendly, and they also tend to be expensive. Our technology allows us to synthesize allyl alcohol from glycerol in a sustainable and cost-effective way.
Our method of producing allyl alcohol involves a special catalyst made of HZSM-5 zeolite embedded with three different metals – iron, cesium, and molybdenum. This catalyst makes it possible to convert glycerol to allyl alcohol in a fixed-bed continuous flow reactor, with the reaction taking place at atmospheric pressure and temperatures ranging from 250°C to 450°C.
Our method for producing allyl alcohol is economically superior to existing solutions. It operates in a single step at ambient pressure in a fixed-bed reactor and achieves the highest yield of allyl alcohol compared to other catalysts reported in the literature for gas phase reactions. Additionally, it eliminates the need for hydrogen donors or fossil fuel derivatives, providing a green and sustainable approach for synthesizing allyl alcohol from glycerol.
Developed by: Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering.
Technology readiness level: TRL3.
Status of intellectual property:Patent granted.
Cooperation opportunities: Industrial testing and scale-up.
2023 NICKI Support Recipient
Scientific and academic papers
Kostyniuk, A., Bajec, D., Djinović, P., Likozar, B. (2020). Allyl alcohol production by gas phase conversion reactions of glycerol over bifunctional hierarchical zeolite-supported bi- and tri-metallic catalysts. Chemical Engineering Journal. Volume 397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.125430.