Gas Phase Processing of Sorbitol

During the conversion of glycerol to propylene glycol, highly selective conversion is necessary for commercial viability. The greatest strides in achieving high selectivity are attained with catalyst and temperature. For the conversion of glycerol to propylene glycol, these parameters can be optimized to achieve selectivities of greater than 80%.

This paper is on the optimization of more-subtle parameters such as concentration, water content, pressure, isothermal operation, and residence time to achieve selectivities in excess of 90%. Data reveal that low concentrations are important to reduce by-products whose formation relies on second-order reaction mechanisms. Water is important to reduce dehydration reactions and indirectly helps to maintain more-isothermal operation. An optimal hydrogen partial pressure between 5 and 15 bars minimizes the cumulative amount of by-products that result from hydrocracking versus dehydration side reactions.