Glycerol Dehydration to Acrolein Catalyzed by ZSM-5 Zeolite in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Medium

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂ ) has been used for the first time as a reaction medium for the dehydration of glycerol to acrolein catalyzed by a solid acid. Unprecedented catalyst stability over 528 hours of time-on-stream was achieved and the rate of coke deposition on the zeolite catalyst was the lowest among extensive previous studies, showing potential for industrial application. Coking pathways in SC-CO₂ were also elucidated for future development. The results have potential implications for other dehydration reactions catalyzed by solid acids.