(600cf) Conversion of HMF and Furfuryl Alcohol to Levulinic Acid Using a Hierarchical Material As Catalyst

Conversion of HMF and Furfuryl Alcohol to Levulinic
Acid using a Hierarchical Material as Catalyst

Rivera-Goyco,
C.; Cardona-Martínez, N.

Chemical
Engineering Department

University of
Puerto Rico ? Mayagüez Campus; Mayagüez, PR

Keywords: 5-hydroxymethylfurfural,
furfuryl alcohol, hierarchical materials,  

levulinic acid, surface
acidity, ZSM-5

Levulinic acid
(LA) is an intermediate chemical that is used for the synthesis of polymers,
bio-fuels and other value added chemicals that may substitute similar materials
derived from petroleum. LA is produced by the hydrolysis reaction of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
(HMF) or furfuryl alcohol (FA). Both of these reactions are catalyzed by strong
acids. These reactions follow two parallel reaction mechanisms: one of the
mechanisms follows the production of undesired humins and, for the other mechanism,
the products are LA and formic acid. Therefore, an efficient process in which
LA selectivity is enhanced is desired. This could be achieved by the hydrolysis
of HMF or FA at low concentrations. But the mentioned method is not
economically viable because of high separation costs. A possible solution for
this problem is the synthesis of a hierarchical material that possesses micro
and meso pores and high internal surface acidity. As a possible candidate for
the desired catalyst, a hierarchical material that consists of a ZSM-5 core and
mesoporous silica shell is being synthesized. Characterization of the material is
being performed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Nitrogen Adsorption -
Desorption Isotherms, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-Ray Diffraction
(XRD), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and solid Fourier Transform Infrared
Spectroscopy (FTIR). Results to date indicate that the synthesized silica shell
material has the desired spherical morphology, an ordered range of mesopores,
and an internal cavity in which ZSM-5 nanospheres may be encapsulated. ZSM-5
nanospheres have also been synthesized with the desired structure and textural
properties. We will present preliminary results of the catalytic performance
for the conversion of HMF and FA to LA catalyzed by the synthesized ZSM-5 and
the ZSM-5 core-Silica Shell material.