Transesterification Catalyzed by Superhydrophobic–Oleophilic Mesoporous Polymeric Solid Acids: An Efficient Route for Production of Biodiesel

Abstract

We report here an efficient mesoporous polymeric solid acid catalyst (p-PDVB-SO3H) with superhydrophobic–oleophilic properties synthesized from copolymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB) with sodium p-styrene sulfonate under solvothermal conditions. N2 isotherm showed that p-PDVB-SO3H has large BET surface area and uniform mesopore. Contact angle tests showed that p-PDVB-SO3H exhibits superhydrophobic–oleophilic property for triolein and methanol, which results in its good miscibility and high exposition degree of active sites for various organic reactants. Catalytic tests showed that p-PDVB-SO3H has much better catalytic activities and recyclability toward transesterification to biodiesel than those of H-form mesoporous ZMS-5 zeolite, carbon solid acid and commercially acidic resin of Amberlyst 15, which will be very important for its wide applications for biodiesel production in industry. Superhydrophobic–oleophilic mesoporous solid acid of p-PDVB-SO3H exhibits very good wettability for methanol and plants oil, further leading to its high exposition degree of active sites, which results in its excellent catalytic activity toward transesterification to biodiesel.