New products from partial oxidation of glycerol

A surplus of glycerol production due to several reasons has initiated investigation of several routes of oxidative glycerol upgrading. Among the reaction products are substances such as dihydroxyacetone and several acids from oxidative upgrading of glycerol. Several routes of chemical oxidation and electrochemical oxidation have been published in literature. The ongoing project has focused on the investigation of electrochemical routes of partial glycerol oxidation. Direct anodic treatment through membrane electrolysis and oxidative treatment with mediators has been subject of investigation. In the first part of direct anodic treatment the effect of operating conditions on the yield and selectivity of products has been investigated, mainly considering the electrolyte composition, the type of anode material, the current density and the temperature of electrochemical operation. Results of direct anodic treatment show reasonable yields but suffer still from a lack of product selectivity. In extension to anodic oxidation oxidative treatment with redox mediators has been considered too. The concentration of redox mediators can be varied, offering a wider range of oxidation conditions. Improved product selectivity is expected. On the other hand separation of spent redox mediators from the reaction mixture and regeneration increase the overall technical demand.