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Catalytic Production of Alanine from Waste Glycerol
Author(s) -
Wang Yunzhu,
Furukawa Shinya,
Song Song,
He Qian,
Asakura Hiroyuki,
Yan Ning
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201912580
Subject(s) - glycerol , catalysis , chemistry , alanine , raw material , bimetallic strip , organic chemistry , biodiesel production , amino acid , biodiesel , biochemistry
Chemical synthesis of amino acids directly from biomass feedstock is rare. Reported here is a one‐step protocol to convert crude glycerol, from the biodiesel industry, into 43 % alanine over a Ru 1 Ni 7 /MgO catalyst. The multifunctional catalytic system promotes glycerol conversion into lactic acid, and then into alanine. X‐ray absorption spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed the existence of bimetallic RuNi species, whereas density‐functional theory calculations suggested Ni‐doped Ru substantially decreased the E a of C−H bond dissociation of lactate alkoxide to form pyruvate, which is the rate‐determining step. The catalytic route established in this work creates new opportunities for glycerol utilization and enriches the substrate scope of renewable feedstock to access value‐added amino acids.