3-hydroxypropionic acid is readily converted to acrylic acid by conversion to the acid salt followed by treatment with a solid oxide dehydration catalyst such as titania or alumina.
Further, conversion of 3-hydroxypropionic acid to the ammonium salt followed by dehydration leads to acylamide.
Excellent conversion and selectivity are observed in lab-scale flow reactors run continuously for several days.
Applications and Industries
Potential applications include: plastics, super absorbent polymers (diapers), detergents, thickening agents, coatings.