Chapter 6 - Applications of heteropoly acids in industry

Abstract

Due to the importance of heteropoly acids as solid acids in organic chemistry and industrial, this chapter highlights the applications of heteropoly acids in the chemical industry (e.g., desulfurization), pharmaceutical, the food industry, biomass, and removal of pollutants. In recent decades, desulfurization of gasoline has received increasing attention, chiefly for environmental reasons. One feasible approach to resolve this is hydrodesulfurization (HDS), while hydrogenation is an energy-consuming process decreasing the octane number and the quality of gasoline. Dietary phytosterols including phytostanols are believed to effectively lower the absorption of cholesterol. A number of ways have been suggested to increase the solubility or bioavailability of phytosterols. Phytosteryl esters are much more soluble than the free phytosterols in the oil phase. Therefore, using phytosteryl esters in oil has been proposed in order to lower cholesterol absorption. Biomass resources are regarded as a good choice for raw material supply in the production of high-value products due to their low cost, accessibility, sufficiency, and renewability. Many industries are focusing on the production of chemicals and other products from biomass such as lactic acid, levulinic acid, formic acid, biodiesel, and cellulose derivatives. The deposition of solid waste generated by various industries that pollutes water, air, and soil is one of the main environmental issues. Green chemistry dictates that the elimination or reduction of hazardous waste and substances must be considered in every chemical/industrial process. Great developments have been achieved regarding the application of heteropoly acids in this area, and a few examples are addressed in this chapter.