Resumen: Sulphonated hydrothermal carbon (SHTC), obtained from D-glucose by mild hydrothermal carbonisation
and subsequent sulphonation with sulphuric acid, is able to catalyse the esterification of glycerol with dif-
ferent carboxylic acids, namely, acetic, butyric and caprylic acids. Product selectivity can be tuned by sim-
ply controlling the reaction conditions. On the one hand, SHTC provides one of the best selectivity towards 20 monoacetins described up to now without the need for an excess of glycerol. On the other hand, excellent selectivity towards triacylglycerides (TAG) can be obtained, beyond those described with other solid cata-
lysts, including well-known sulphonic resins. Recovery of the catalyst showed partial deactivation of the
solid. The formation of sulphonate esters on the surface, confirmed by solid state NMR, was the cause of
this behaviour. Acid treatment of the used catalyst, with subsequent hydrolysis of the surface sulphonate 25 esters, allows SHTC to recover its activity. The higher selectivity towards mono- and triesters and its renewable origin makes SHTC an attractive catalyst in biorefinery processes Idioma: Inglés DOI: 10.1039/c5cy00059a Año: 2015 Publicado en: Catalysis Science and Technology 5, 5 (2015), 2897-2903 ISSN: 2044-4753 Factor impacto JCR: 5.287 (2015) Categ. JCR: CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL rank: 28 / 144 = 0.194 (2015) - Q1 - T1 Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.804 - Catalysis (Q1)