Acetalization of furfural catalyzed by zeolites to obtain biofuels additives

Abstract

During the last decade, renewable fuels have become an important focus of research in the energy field. Likewise, building block molecules derived from biomass residues emerge as a sustainable alternative in the production of valuable chemicals and bioadditives. In this sense, the catalytic valorization of glycerol, generated from biodiesel production, with carbonyl compounds derived from lignocellulosic biomass waste, through the acetalization reaction gives rise to potential biodiesel additives.In this work, the acetalization reaction of ethylene glycol with furfural to obtain 2,2 furyl -1,3 dioxolane was investigated, in order to establish the reaction conditions. Ethylene glycol was used as it is a simpler polyol molecule than glycerol. For this purpose, twoacid zeolites (H-ZSM-5 and H-Mor) were prepared and characterized by several techniques (XRD, FTIR, potentiometric titration). The reaction was carried out at 100°C, 1 h, EtGLy/FUR=1:1 molar ratio and 10 wt.% of catalyst. The most promising result was obtained for H-ZSM-5 catalyst, achieving an 80% yield to dioxolane