Levulinic Acid Production from Delignified Rice Husk Waste over Zeolite Catalysts
Delignified rice husk waste (25.66% (wt) cellulose) was converted to levulinic acid using three types of manganese catalysts, i.e., the Mn3O4/hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite and Mn3O4 heterogenous catalysts, as well as Mn(II) ion homogeneous counterpart. The hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite was prepared using the double template method and modified with Mn3O4 through wet-impregnation method. The structure and physicochemical properties of the catalyst materials were determined using several solid-state characterization techniques. The reaction was conducted in a 200 mL-three neck-round bottom flask at 100 °C and 130 °C for a certain reaction time in the presence of 10% (v/v) phosphoric acid and 2% (v/v) H2O2 aqueous solution, and the product was analyzed using HPLC. In general, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) as the intermediate product was produced after 2 h and decreased after 4 h reaction time. To conclude, the Mn3O4/hierarchical ZSM-5 heterogenous catalyst gave the highest yield (wt %) of levulinic acid (39.75% and 27.60%, respectively) as the main product, after 8 h reaction time.
(Catalysts 2020, 10(3), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10030327)
MOFs as Glucose Conversion Catalysts
The metal–organic framework MIL-101(Cr) is known as a solid–acid catalyst for the solution conversion of biomass-derived glucose to 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF). We study the substitution of Cr3+ by Fe3+ and Sc3+ in the MIL-101 structure in order to prepare more environmentally benign catalysts. MIL-101(Fe) can be prepared, and the inclusion of Sc is possible at low levels (10% of Fe replaced). On extended synthesis times the polymorphic MIL-88B structure instead forms.Increasing the amount of Sc also only yields MIL-88B, even at short crystallisation times. The MIL-88B structure is unstable under hydrothermal conditions, but in dimethylsulfoxide solvent, it provides 5-HMF from glucose as the major product. The optimum material is a bimetallic (Fe,Sc) form of MIL-88B, which provides ~70% conversion of glucose with 35% selectivity towards 5-HMF after 3 hours at 140 °C: this offers high conversion compared to other heterogeneous catalysts reported in the same solvent.
(Catalysts 2019, 9(5), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal9050437)
Synthesis and Characterization of Crystalline NaY-Zeolite from Belitung Kaolin as Catalyst for n-Hexadecane Cracking
Crystalline sodium Y (NaY) zeolite has been synthesized using alternative natural source of aluminate and silicate, extracted from natural Belitung kaolin. Prior to use, the natural kaolin was pretreated to obtain fragmented metakaolin and extracted silica. Synthesis was conducted with the addition of NaY gel (two types of NaY seeds were used, prepared from colloidal sillica or sodium silica water) using hydrothermal method for 21 h at 100 °C. The characterization on the as-synthesized zeolites confirmed that the one prepared using colloidal silica-seed has closer structure similarity to NaY zeolite that was synthesized using pro analysis silicate and aluminate sources. Thus, the rest of the synthesis of NaY was carried out using colloidal silica-NaY seed. The NaY zeolites then were converted to HY, through ammonium-exchange followed by calcination, to be tested as cracking catalysts using n-hexadecane as a probe molecule. It shows that HY from metakaolin and extracted silica gives high performance, i.e., n-hexadecane conversion of 58%–64%, also C5-C12 percentage yield and selectivity of 56%–62% and 98%. This work has shown the potential to utilize kaolin as alternative silicate aluminate sources for crystalline zeolite synthesis and to obtain inexpensive and environmentally friendly catalyst materials.
(Crystals 2019, 9(8), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst9080404)
Partial Oxidation of Methane to Methanol Using Zeolite Catalysts
This study presents a partial oxidation of biomethane from anaerobic organic waste of cow dung to methanol using modified cobalt and iron metal oxide-hierarchical ZSM-5 catalysts. The partial oxidation of bio-methane to methanol was carried out in an atmospheric fixed batch reactor, c.a. 200 mL, with biomethane to N2Â ratio of 0,2:2 (in bar). The results of application using biomethane show the hierarchical Fe2O3/ZSM-5 catalyst has higher methanol yield (17.61 %), compared to the yield by using hierarchical Co3O4/ZSM-5 (10.99 %). In addition, no side product is detected after reaction. Thus, it can be concluded that Fe2O3Â is more active than Co3O4Â as catalyst and biomethane can be utilized as source in this partial oxidation reaction.
Mesoporous Carbon for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Conversion
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a compound that can potentially be used as a carbon source in the synthesis of fine chemicals. However, the utilization of CO2 is still constrained due to its inert and stable nature. Therefore, the presence of a catalyst is needed in CO2 conversion. This study aims to synthesize copper impregnated mesoporous carbon (Cu/MC) as a catalyst for phenylacetylene carboxylation reaction with CO2 to produce phenylpropiolic acid. Phenylacetylene carboxylation reaction with CO2 was carried out by varying reaction temperatures (25, 50, and 75 °C), amount of catalyst (28.6, 57.2, and 85.8 mg), type of base (Cs2CO3, K2CO3, and Na2CO3), and variation of support. The reaction mixtures were analyzed by HPLC and showed that the highest phenylacetylene conversion of 41% was obtained for the reaction at 75 °C using Cs2CO3 as a base.