Process for making biobased propylene glycol from lactic acid esters

摘要

A process is described for making a biobased propylene glycol product at least in part from a carbohydrate-derived feed, wherein a feed comprised of a lactic acid ester is reacted with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst, in a nonaqueous solvent in which lactide may be essentially wholly solubilized at the conditions under which the reaction is carried out, so that lactide does not precipitate out to an extent whereby plugging of the reactor or fouling of the hydrogenation catalyst is observed.