Reactive Distillation Breaks 40-Year Thermodynamic Limit – Doubling Productivity in Bio-Based Olefin Metathesis for Green Chemicals.

17 06 2026

The publication in the prestigious journal Nature Sustainability presents a major breakthrough in green chemistry achieved by researchers from Prof. Karol Grela’s group (Filip Struzik, Mariusz Milewski, Anna Kajetanowicz, and Karol Grela).

For more than 40 years, the self-cross metathesis of bio-based ethyl oleate had been limited to a maximum 50% conversion due to thermodynamic equilibrium. The team developed a simple yet highly effective method based on in situ reactive distillation that continuously removes the volatile by-product, 9-octadecene, under reduced pressure. Using robust ruthenium carbene catalysts at low loadings (down to 0.01 mol%) and solvent-free conditions at 80–90 °C, they achieved near-quantitative conversion and isolated yields of 80–90% of the valuable diethyl 9-octadecenedioate.

The process is virtually waste-free and scalable using standard laboratory glassware (a three-way adapter) or molecular distillation equipment. With Z-stereoretentive catalysts, both products were obtained as pure Z-isomers (>99% purity). The resulting building blocks, derived entirely from renewable carbon, are ideally suited for the production of bio-based lubricants, plastics, surfactants, and high-value specialty chemicals such as pheromones and macrocyclic fragrances.

This elegant solution doubles the productivity of the transformation and significantly enhances the economic and environmental sustainability of chemical production.

full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-026-01847-2