This project focused on the application of AuPt catalysts for the oxidation of propane diol and glycerol for the production of lactic acid. The aim was to build on the knowledge in the literature and also on that gained from work using perovskites as supports, and attempt to apply this to industrially relevant conditions and ultimately scale up. Much work is present in the literature regarding the production of high activity and selectivity catalysts, however there is often limited information regarding the stability of these catalysts, and even less so regarding the application of these under flow conditions such as in trickle bed reactors. This project has demonstrated that simple impregnation techniques can produce catalysts with high selectivity to lactic acid, albeit at a lower reaction rate compared to literature standard sol immobilisation catalysts. Optimisation of the calcination temperature significantly reduces leaching of platinum during the reaction. These catalysts have also been shown to less active for lactic acid decomposition under reaction conditions.
