Utilization of renewable resources: Investigation on role of active sites in zeolite catalyst for transformation of furfuryl alcohol into alkyl levulinate

A bio-derived furfuryl alcohol transformation into various high-value chemicals is a growing field of interest among researchers. This study reports an exclusive investigation of the porosity and active sites responsible for the efficient alcoholysis of furfuryl alcohol to alkyl levulinate by the aid of zeolite catalyst. Alkyl levulinate is a promising platform chemical potentially used as a fuel additive and also for the production of chemicals. A detailed study using well-characterized HZSM-5 catalyst on the influence of acidity and post synthesis modification like desilication, dealumination, metal ion exchange and phosphate modification revealed the most desired type of acid sites required to catalyze this reaction. Among the HZSM-5 catalysts tested, HZSM-5 (SAR 95) showed the best performance of ≥ 99 % furfuryl alcohol conversion and 85 % butyl levulinate selectivity under optimum conditions. The catalyst exhibited good recyclability additionally addressing all the challenges reported in the previous literature fulfilling the green chemistry principles.