• Clean Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.42-46
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• 2009

Solvent-free direct preparation of dichloropropanol (DCP) from glycerol (by-product of bio-diesel production) and hydrochloric acid gas was carried out over acetin catalyst in a gas-liquid batch reactor. For this purpose, acetin mixture and triacetin were used as a homogeneous acetin catalyst. Performance in the acetin-catalyzed reaction was compared to that in the non-catalytic reaction under the same reaction conditions ($110^{\circ}C$, 3 bar, 3 h). Conversion of glycerol in the acetin-catalyzed reactions was ca. 3% higher than that in the non-catalytic reaction, and selectivity for dichloropropanol in the acetin-catalyzed reactions was ca. 50% higher than that in the non-catalytic reaction. It was also revealed that the catalytic performance of triacetin was ca. 2% higher than that of acetic mixture.