Nanoarchitectonics of phosphomolybdic acid supported on activated charcoal for selective conversion of furfuryl alcohol and levulinic acid to alkyl levulinates

Abstract

Catalytic conversion of biomass derivatives to valuable platform chemicals has fascinated several large scale energy based industries. In order to achieve this, it is essential to formulate a strategy to employ low cost materials as sustainable catalysts for biomass conversion reactions. In this work, we report such a strategy, wherein phosphomolybdic acid supported on activated charcoal has been deployed as a heterogeneous catalyst for the selective conversion of two biomass derivatives, furfuryl alcohol and levulinic acid, to levulinate esters using different alcohols. Detailed optimization reactions were carried out to obtain the product in relatively good yields. Furthermore, the reusability and structural integrity of the catalyst has been demonstrated for up to four cycles. The strategy of anchoring active nanoarchitectonics based catalysts on low-cost solid supports can pave the way for the development of sustainable conversion of several biomass derivatives to platform chemicals.