In China, a team from Shaanxi Normal University has developed an innovative catalyst that efficiently transforms this low-value waste stream into glyceric acid—a high-value chemical used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food industries, and as a precursor for biodegradable polymers.
Bio-diesel production generates approximately 10% glycerol by weight, creating a significant surplus as global biodiesel adoption increases. Despite glycerol’s potential usefulness, the market has been unable to absorb this growing supply, driving prices down and undermining the economic viability of biodiesel production.
The research team tackled this challenge by creating platinum nanocrystals decorated on bismuth oxide nanosheets (PtBi DONS) using a galvanic replacement method. While platinum alone is known for glycerol oxidation, it typically produces a mix of products through C-C bond breaking.
The researchers’ breakthrough came by optimizing the platinum-to-bismuth ratio at 1:1, creating a catalyst that achieved exceptional selectivity—96.6% for C3 products with a strong preference for glyceric acid. Comparatively, traditional platinum catalysts produce significant amounts of less valuable C1 and C2 byproducts.
Tags: China, glyceric acid, glycerine
Category: Research
