Conversion of glycerol to acrolein in the presence of WO3/TiO2 catalysts

Dehydration of glycerol to acrolein was performed on WO3/TiO2 catalysts in a continuous flow fixed bed reactor. A maximum of 85% acrolein selectivity was achieved at nearly complete conversion of glycerol using novel WO3/TiO2 catalysts for this particular reaction. The use of oxygen suppressed side product formation. In addition, correlations between carrier properties of titania and catalytic performance were observed. The outstanding properties of WO3/TiO2 catalyst systems for the dehydration of glycerol are revealed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.