Bench scale production of methanol from crude glycerol (1,2,3-Propanetriol) using Zirconium loaded fluorine doped tin oxide

An insulated bench-scale batch reactor was designed for the production of methanol through the catalytic conversion of 1, 2, 3-Propanetriol (glycerol) by the sub-critical water method. For that, a novel Zirconium loaded Fluorine doped Tin Oxide (Zr-FTO) was fabricated and characterized for various metal loading (0%, 5%,15%,25%) to know the morphological and chemical composition such as Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Utilizing Zr-FTO, 95% glycerol conversion and 100% methanol selectivity were attained at 350 degrees C for 30 min with 15% metal loading on the catalyst and 20 wt % of glycerol concentration. The findings reveal that the Zr-FTO enhances the efficiency of the glycerol degradation process and this would be a clean, sustainable method for renewable methanol production.

Automated summary

An insulated bench-scale batch reactor was designed for the production of methanol using Zr-FTO catalyst through the sub-critical water method, achieving high conversion and selectivity, which is of great significance in the field of sustainable energy.