Recent progress in one-step synthesis of acrylic acid and methyl acrylate via aldol reaction: Catalyst, mechanism, kinetics and separation

Abstract With the gradual depletion of petroleum resources, the one-step synthesis of acrylic acid/ methyl acrylate from acetic acid/methyl acetate and formaldehyde via aldol reaction, instead of propylene selective oxidation, has stimulated researchers’ interest. Current research in this field focus on catalyst modification, structure–activity relationships, catalytic mechanism and kinetics, and separation process design. The faced challenging problems are efficient catalyst development, mechanism-based kinetics calculation for reactor design and separation process optimization, which hinder the industrial progress, although great efforts have been made in the last decades. Therefore, it is necessary and meaningful to review the achievements as the basis for the further exploration and application in this area. This review aims to systematically summarize and analyze the catalytic performance and structure–activity relationships of developed catalysts, catalytic mechanism and kinetics, and separation process design, as well as suggest the prospective research.