Objective The idea is to bring to pre-commercial stage a highly effective, economically feasible catalyst for the conversion of glycerol (a waste product from the manufacture of biodiesel) to methanol developed under the ERC Advanced Grant – ‘After the Goldrush’ (ERC-2011-AdG-291319). ‘After the Goldrush’ is aimed at developing cheap alternatives to precious metal catalysts, particularly those containing gold and palladium that can be difficult to commercialise due to their high cost. During our initial studies which focused on finding uses for waste glycerol produced from bio-diesel manufacture. We were exploring the use of glycerol as a starting point for the synthesis of valuable compounds using redox reactions involving oxygen and hydrogen transfer reactions. Biodiesel manufacture takes triglycerides and other fatty materials that can be derived from plant or animal sources and reacts this with methanol typically in the presence of liquid sodium hydroxide. The process produces high quality biodiesel together with glycerol as a waste product. Typically on a mass basis 10 tons of biodiesel produce 1 ton of glycerol as an undesired by-product. This waste glycerol is highly contaminated with residual sodium hydroxide and unconverted fats; it represents a huge environmental problem that keeps a brake on the future expansion of biodiesel production. Hence there has been much research dedicated to finding commercially viable uses for this waste glycerol. We have discovered that this waste glycerol can be converted into methanol in the presence of water and this new reaction is the proposal we wish to bring to a proof of concept demonstration stage. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkali metalsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculeslipidsnatural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcoholsnatural scienceschemical sciencescatalysisengineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-PoC-2014 - ERC Proof of Concept Grant Call for proposal ERC-2014-PoC See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant Coordinator CARDIFF UNIVERSITY Net EU contribution € 149 994,00 Address Newport road 30 36 CF24 0DE Cardiff United Kingdom See on map Region Wales East Wales Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all CARDIFF UNIVERSITY United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 149 994,00 Address Newport road 30 36 CF24 0DE Cardiff See on map Region Wales East Wales Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
