Formation of Glyoxylic Acid by Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Glycolic Acid

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/bcsj.70.1995

Iron phosphates with a P/Fe atomic ratio of 1.2 were found to be effective as catalysts for a vapor-phase oxidative dehydrogenation of glycolic acid to glyoxylic acid.The effects of the reaction variables on the conversion and selectivity were studied.The optimum reaction temperature was around 240 deg C and the optimum feed rate of oxygen was in the range of 10 to 25 mmol h^-1 when the feed rate of glycolic acid was 12.3 mmol h^-1.The reaction was not affected by a variation in the feed rate of water vapor in the range of 86 to 480 mmol h^-1.The selectivity to glyoxylic acid remained unchanged at 74 molpercent with an increase in the conversion of glycolic acid up to 70percent; the highest yield of glyoxylic acid was 56.5 molpercent at the conversion of 80percent.