Sulfonic Mesostructured SBA-15 Silicas for the Solvent-Free Production of Bio-Jet Fuel Precursors via Aldol Dimerization of Levulinic Acid
Sulfonic acid-functionalized mesostructured silicas have been evaluated in the solvent-free aldol dimerization of biomass-derived levulinic acid into bio-jet fuel precursors. These compounds produce branched alkanes in a subsequent hydrodeoxygenation process, with suitable properties for being a ren...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2021 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad Rey Juan Carlos |
| Repositorio: | BURJC-Digital. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:burjcdigital.urjc.es:10115/19092 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10115/19092 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | bio-jet fuel lignocellulose levulinic acid aldol dimerization sulfonic acid mesoporous silica |
| Sumario: | Sulfonic acid-functionalized mesostructured silicas have been evaluated in the solvent-free aldol dimerization of biomass-derived levulinic acid into bio-jet fuel precursors. These compounds produce branched alkanes in a subsequent hydrodeoxygenation process, with suitable properties for being a renewable alternative to conventional fossil aviation fuels. The combination of activity and selectivity toward the desired condensation products achieved over sulfonic acid-functionalized SBA-15 materials is superior to those displayed by other commercial solid acid catalysts. Enhanced textural properties provided by the mesoporous SBA-15 support contribute to such improved catalytic performance. The strength and loading of the mesoporous silica-supported sulfonic acid moieties are also important factors affecting the catalytic performance of the materials. Reaction conditions (temperature, time, and catalyst loading) have been optimized for propylsulfonic acid-functionalized mesostructured silica (Pr-SBA-15) by means of a response surface methodology, leading to a maximum yield to levulinic acid dimerization products of 58.4% (145 °C, 0.15 g of catalyst, 24 h, no solvent). Under these reaction conditions, conversion of levulinic acid is 61.1%, indicating excellent selectivity toward bio-jet fuel precursors. A small catalytic activity decay has been detected in reutilization experiments, attributed to the formation of organic deposits onto the catalyst surface. A mild acid washing of the catalyst allowed a significant recovery of the initial activity. |
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