Improved utilisation of renewable resources: New important derivatives of glycerol

Although glycerol has been a well-known renewable chemical for centuries, its commercial relevance has increased considerably in the last few years because of its rising inevitable formation as a by-product of biodiesel production. The present review gives a broad overview on the chemistry of glycerol starting from the classic esters and oligomers to new products like glycerol carbonate, telomers, branched alkyl ethers, propanediols and epoxides. In particular, the novel possibilities to control the numerous addition, reduction and oxidation reactions via heterogeneous, homogeneous and biocatalysis will be presented. A benchmark will be given to determine the products which will have the best chances of entering the market and which processes are currently most developed.