We examined the effectiveness of metal-exchanged phosphomolybdic acid salts in converting levulinic acid, derived from biomass, into valuable products (alkyl levulinate). We prepared salts of phosphomolybdic acid using different metals (Fe3+, Al3+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, and Co2+). The influence of metal cations on the conversion and selectivity of the reactions was assessed. We found that the salts prepared with iron and aluminum phosphomolybdate were the most effective catalysts for the esterification of levulinic acid with methanol, with the conversion and selectivity tending towards 100% after 6 h of reaction at a temperature of 323 K. The effect of catalyst loading and its recovery and reuse was evaluated; the results from the reaction using aluminum phosphomolybdate remained similar for four cycles of use. The influence of temperature on conversion and selectivity was investigated between 298 and 353 K. The reactivity of different alcohols with a carbon chain size of C1-C4 was assessed and conversions above 65% were obtained for all alcohols tested under the conditions evaluated, except for tert-butyl alcohol. These catalysts are a promising alternative to the traditional soluble and corrosive Brønsted acid catalysts. The superior performance of these catalysts was ascribed to the higher pH decline triggered by the hydrolysis of these metal cations.
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