Selective catalytic oxidation of glycerol: perspectives for high value chemicals

Due to its three hydroxyl groups, glycerol is a potential starting material for various high value fine chemicals such as dihydroxyacetone, tartronic acid and mesoxalic acid. The corresponding oxidation reactions are catalysed by various metals such as palladium, platinum, bismuth or gold. Nevertheless, the selectivity not only depends on the type of the active phase, but is also influenced by numerous parameters such as the metal particles size, the pore size of the support and the pH of the reaction medium. This review not only describes the recent developments in the field of research for new catalysts but also spotlights the role of the reaction conditions as well as the possible transport limitations in this tri-phasic system. Furthermore, an economical analysis of some processes is given, which shows that this is realistic to envision sustainable production of, e.g., dihydroxyacetone.