Challenges and opportunities for zeolites in biomass upgrading: Impediments and future directions

Abstract

The urgency to reduce CO2 emissions and energy costs has driven the investment in solar and wind technologies. However, these sources of energy are intermittent and heavily influenced by weather conditions. To overcome this limitation, it is necessary to combine electricity production with a stable and low-carbon energy source, and biofuels have emerged as a promising option. Nonetheless, other challenges have arisen, including the oversupply of glycerol. To address this issue, one of the most sought-after solutions is to convert glycerol into value-added products, such as polymer precursors, solvents, and fuel additives. The production of these products involves catalytic reactions such as oxidation, reduction, reforming, dehydration, acetalization, and carbonylation. Here, we review the latest advances in the conversion of glycerol into value-added products using zeolite-based catalysts and discuss the remaining challenges in this field.