Efficient and selective oxidation of Glycerol by excitation of supported gold nanoparticles under visible light at room temperature

Here we demonstrate the feasibility of “nanoplasmonic” catalysis on an industrial application reaction. Indeed we report that oxidation of glycerol (co-product of biodiesel production) can be catalyzed at room temperature by green laser excitation of supported GNPs. Visible irradiation of the Plasmon band of GNPs in the presence of base under an oxygen atmosphere results in the formation of oxidation products such as glyceric acid and tartronic acid, while the reaction does not occur in the absence of laser irradiation. 93% of glycerol was converted after 2 h of reaction at ambient temperature. The influence of the support type and laser power on the oxidation rate and product selectivity was investigated. It seems like GNPs/TiO2 are significantly more efficient than GNPs/ZnO and GNPs/Al2O3.