Catalytic conversion of glycerol to acetins: A waste management approach - insights to glycerol derived products, prospects, and exploring acetylation route
摘要
Glycerol is a commonly obtained as a by-product from biodiesel. Glycerol finds its use as a precursor for many reactions and leads to variety of products. The current review presents a reaction network of all the possible routes and the products obtained from glycerol along with the market scenario of these products. Acetylation of glycerol gives acetins; mono, di and triacetin. Acetins have widespread application in perfumery, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and as additives to fuel sector. Acetylation is one of the highly studied route, with over two decades of study by the scientific community presenting profusely the performance of different catalysts; this route has been extensively reviewed in the study. The catalysts are critically evaluated to provide the guideline for further research. The current review is intended to give an update on the catalyst development, its performance, along with opportunities in the field that can be explored.