Zirconium-modified mesoporous silica as an efficient catalyst for the production of fuel additives from glycerol

摘要

Zirconium-modified mesoporous silica (Zr-S) was synthesized as a new promising catalyst for the acetylation reaction of glycerol. In the presence of Zr-S catalyst, the selectivity to desired products (TAG and DAG) reached 91%, with a complete conversion of glycerol. Moreover, 12-tungstophosphoric acid (H3PW12O40) was immobilized onto Zr-S surface, and the effect of acid strength of catalysts on this reaction was investigated by NH3-temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD) technique. Synthesized materials were characterized by various analytical techniques: X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, N-2 adsorption-desorption, and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy.