Valorization of Lactic Acid and Derivatives to Acrylic Acid Derivatives: Review of Mechanistic Studies

Abstract

Lactic acid and acrylic acid are key platform molecules for a large range of applications, in particular polymers. While the production of lactic acid from biomass has been extensively described, much less literature concerns the synthesis of bioacrylic acid. Among the different potential routes, the dehydration of lactic acid or alkyl lactates to acrylic acid is still challenging, and this approach needs further optimization. In this chapter, we focus on mechanistic studies related to the dehydration of lactic acid to acrylic acid by considering potential relationships between acid-base properties and reaction selectivity.

Acidic Properties of Alkaline-Earth Phosphates Determined by an Experimental-Theoretical Approach

“…4,5 Another investigated route is the dehydration of Lactic Acid (LA), a platform molecule used to produce chemical commodities and PLA polymers. 1,2,6 Lactic acid is currently yielded by carbohydrates fermentation 1,2,6 but can also be obtained by alternative fermentation processes using various substrates 7,8 and by glycerol catalytic dehydrogenation. 9 The global market for lactic acid was 0.75 Mt/y in 2017 and is projected to reach 1.8 Mt/y by 2022.…”

“…The best yields were obtained using alkaline earth metal phosphates (up to 85% AA yield) which furthermore are more stable than zeolites. 1,2,6 We established correlations between the NH 3 and CO 2 -TPD curves and the AA selectivity using alkaline earth phosphates as catalysts. 11 The catalysts with only weak acid and basic sites were selective and their NH 3 and CO 2 -TPD curves were surprisingly quite similar.…”

“…Acrylic acid (AA) is a platform molecule used as a building block to produce acrylate polymers and plastics and currently produced by catalytic oxidation of propylene in large volumes (6 Mt/y predicted by 2020). , From both environmental and economic point of view, alternative routes to produce AA should be developed. Glycerol is a potential renewable raw material to produce AA by oxidehydration .…”

A PLACKETT-BURMAN DESIGN FOR SUBSTITUTING MRS MEDIUM COMPONENTS WITH AVOCADO SEED HYDROLYSATE FOR GROWTH AND LACTIC ACID PRODUCTION BY Lactobacillus sp.

“…In a recent revision (Bozell and Petersen, 2010), lactic acid has been included in the list of the new "Top 10" chemical opportunities for biorefinery carbohydrates, this based on the following criteria: the extensive recent literature about this molecule, its multiple product applicability, the fact that it is an existing commercial product with large production volumes, and its platform potential. Lactic acid market is greater than 300,000 t/year, with a price in the range of $1,300-1,500/t (Blanco et al, 2016). According to a recent market analysis (Grand View Research, 2017), the global lactic acid market size accounted for $2.08 billion in 2016 and it is expected to reach $9.8 billion by 2025.…”

“…In fact, the biotechnological approach accounts for around 90% of the world lactic acid production (Lasprilla et al, 2012). Lactic acid bacteria, mainly Lactobacillus, are the largest group of lactic acid-producing microorganisms (Gao et al, 2011;Pandey and Garg., 2013;Alsaheb et al, 2015;Bozell and Petersen, 2010;Blanco et al, 2016;Lasprilla et al, 2012). They are of industrial value due to their resistance against acidic environments and their high growth rates and productivities (John, 2009).…”