Design of Co, Cu and Fe–BEA Zeolite Catalysts for Selective Conversion of Lactic Acid into Acrylic Acid

Nowadays crude oil and natural gas are the main sources for the production of fuels and feedstock chemicals. These resources are limited and the application of (renewable) alternatives will be needed in future to sustain the progress of mankind. The major challenge of society research is to build fuels and chemical intermediates from available and renewable materials that do not compete with food crops for cultivation areas, water or fertilizer [ 1 ]. Biomass, obtained for example from woody plant materials (e.g., corn and wood wastes, grass etc.), is the one exceptional biorenewable feedstock for chemicals and fuels production [ 2 , 3 ]. However, the use of biomass requires a sequence of chemical conversions, which is blocked by the main building carbohydrates. Recently, global efforts are underway to convert plant cell walls (which are collectively called lignocellulosic biomass) to biofuels for transportation needs [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Dehydration of lactic acid (LA) provides the most promising and environmentally friendly way to produce for example acrylic acid (AA). However, dehydration of LA may be accompanied by other competing reactions, such as hydrogenation, condensation, decarboxylation and esterification. The decarboxylation of LA to acetaldehyde is one of the major side reactions and has a large effect on the low selectivity to AA. To inhibit the formation of acetaldehyde and improve the selectivity to the desired AA, the effects of many different catalysts were tested.