Dehydration of Lactic Acid: The State of The Art

Abstract

The dehydration of lactic acid to produce acrylic acid is a renewable alternative to the mostly used production of acrylic acid from propene. In this review, the recent developments and state of the art for the dehydration of lactic acid to acrylic acid are presented and critically commented. The most recent publications on the topic are discussed inetail with respect to the observed catalysts and process performance data. Among the different catalysts developed, three main groups can be distinguished: zeolites, sulphates, and phosphates. The latter, especially hydroxyapatites, have recently attracted the attention of academics in particular. The three families of catalysts are discussed and the recent developments and technical drawbacks in the gas phase dehydration are reported.