The growth of the production of biodiesel has led to an overproduction of crude glycerol as a by-product. In order to secure the competitiveness of the biodiesel industry, the utilization of crude glycerol is emerging as a new and challenging research field. This review paper summarizes the glycerol conversion technology published by our laboratory for the production of value-added chemicals, in four categories: (1) glycerol steam reforming for hydrogen production; (2) glycerol hydrogenolysis into 1, 2-propanediol; (3) glycerol dehydration for acrolein production; and (4) glycerolysis of urea for glycerol carbonate production. We consider that the suggested catalysts are desirable candidates for the production of each chemical from glycerol. Further studies of the demonstration of pilot plant and process optimization are needed for commercial applications.

生物柴油产量的增长已导致粗甘油副产物的过量生产。为了确保生物柴油行业的竞争力，粗甘油的利用正在成为一个新的且具有挑战性的研究领域。这篇综述文章总结了我们实验室发布的用于生产增值化学品的甘油转化技术，分为四类：（1）甘油蒸汽重整制氢；（2）甘油氢解成1，2-丙二醇; （3）甘油脱水法生产丙烯醛；（4）尿素的甘油分解以生产碳酸甘油酯。我们认为建议的催化剂是从甘油生产每种化学品的理想候选者。