Functionalized mesostructured silicas towards efficient conversion of furfuryl alcohol to ethyl levulinate
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Abstract
In this study, we synthesized ethyl levulinate (EL) by alcoholysis of furfuryl alcohol (FAL) with ethanol using two catalysts, SBA-15-SO3H (SHS-15) and SBA-16-SO3H (SHS-16). The catalysts were prepared through the hydrothermal method, and their physical and chemical properties were assessed using various techniques such as small and wide-angle XRD, N2-sorption, SEM, TEM, FTIR, and Py-FTIR. Characterization results showed that SHS-15 possesses a mesoporous structure with a higher surface area and uniform pore size, along with moderate Brønsted acidity. In catalytic activity, both catalysts were tested for converting FAL to EL under moderate reaction conditions. SHS-15 exhibited excellent performance, achieving a yield of 93.9% for ethyl levulinate at 110°C, with a 0.5g catalyst dose, 1g FAL, and 4h reaction time. In contrast, SHS-16 yielded 88.6%, which was lower than SHS-15. These findings highlight the potential of SHS-15 as an effective catalyst for the alcoholysis of FAL into EL under moderate reaction conditions.
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