RT Journal Article
T1 Sn-silica catalyzes cheese whey to lactic acid in a fluidized bed reactor
A1 Rivera-Quintero, Paula Andrea
A1 Guerrero-Pérez, María Olga
A1 Rodríguez-Castellón, Enrique
A1 Patience, Gregory
K1 Catálisis heterogénea
K1 Acido láctico
K1 Lactosuero
AB Worldwide, the dairy industry produces 200 million tons per year of whey. Among the most abundant components of cheese whey is lactose, a low-priced raw material for nutraceuticals, animal feed, and high value products such as lactic acid (LA)., a specialty chemical platform in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and in the food industry, and is the precursor to polylactic acid, a biodegradable polymer. Here, we propose a fluidized bed process that atomizes an aqueous lactose solution directly into a catalytic bed operating at 325∘C to produce LA. We synthesized silica supported Sn catalysts by varying the metal loading (from 0 to 0.1 g g−1 of Sn) and analyzed its physicochemical properties. This research highlights the critical role of Sn as an active site to hydrolyse/isomerize/retro-aldol/dehydrate/crack lactose to lactic acid in a gas phase environment. All catalysts achieved complete conversion. SiO2 impregnated with 0.1 g g−1 Sn catalyst achieved the maximum lactic acid yield of 23 % at 2 h of the reaction. Lactic acid yield declined thereafter due to coke blocking the active catalytic sites. XPS, Raman and CHN analysis highlighted changes in carbon distribution and evidence of coke accumulation in the spent catalyst. This article brings new findings related to significant challenges related to the continuous operation of a fluidized bed reactor in the conversion of lactose and strategies to mitigate agglomeration and coke formation.
PB Elsevier
SN 0920-5861
YR 2025
FD 2025-03-28
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/38519
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/38519
LA eng
NO Rivera-Quintero, P. A., Guerrero-Pérez, M. O., Rodríguez-Castellón, E., & Patience, G. S. (2025). Sn-silica catalyzes cheese whey to lactic acid in a fluidized bed reactor. Catalysis Today, 454, 115286.
NO Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 20 ene 2026