Propylsulfonic Acid Functionalized SBA-15 Mesoporous Silica as Efficient Catalysts for the Acetalization of Glycerol

As the main by-product obtained from biomass, glycerol could be converted into valuable chemicals. Tunable propylsulfonic acid functionalized SBA-15 and KIT-6 with different structural parameters have been prepared by different methods while using 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as the source of sulfur. The composition and structure of the synthesized catalysts have been well-characterized by N-2 adsorption-desorption (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The catalytic performance of the prepared catalysts have been evaluated and compared in glycerol acetalization with formaldehyde to the mixture of 1,3-dioxane-5-ol and 1,3-dioxolane-4-methanol. Optimum reaction parameters were investigated to enhance the yield of products and control the distribution of glycerol formals. More than 90% yield of cyclic acetals were obtained with the ratio of two isomers 5R to 6R of 42:58.