Issue 19, 2024

Unlocking the value of food waste: sustainable production of ethylene glycol over low-cost Ni–W catalysts supported on glucose-derived carbons

Abstract

Food waste is abundant and holds great potential to be converted into valuable chemicals like ethylene glycol (EG), which is a key compound for the production of commodity polymers and other specialty products. Therefore, the direct conversion of food waste could represent a pivotal alternative for the sustainable production of EG. Nickel-tungsten catalysts supported on glucose-derived carbons were synthesized and evaluated for EG direct production from cellulose and cellulosic urban wastes. A remarkable yield of EG of 62% was attained directly from cellulose after 5 h, while the optimized catalyst allowed to reach notable EG yields around 40% from cellulosic wastes. Furthermore, as far as we are concerned, no previous works have reported the conversion of food wastes, such as fruit peels, directly into EG. Therefore, we report the environmentally friendly production of EG from banana peel, orange peel and spent coffee grounds with promising yields of up to 21%.

Graphical abstract: Unlocking the value of food waste: sustainable production of ethylene glycol over low-cost Ni–W catalysts supported on glucose-derived carbons

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 Jun 2024
Accepted
26 Aug 2024
First published
02 Sep 2024

Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2024,8, 4588-4601

Unlocking the value of food waste: sustainable production of ethylene glycol over low-cost Ni–W catalysts supported on glucose-derived carbons

L. S. Ribeiro, R. G. Morais, J. J. D. M. Órfão and M. F. R. Pereira, Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2024, 8, 4588 DOI: 10.1039/D4SE00823E

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