NH4F Modified Al-SBA-15 Materials for Esterification of Valeric Acid to Alkyl Valerates

Al-SBA-15 materials were functionalized by ball milling with several niobium loadings (0.25–1 wt.%) and/or with several F- loadings, using NH4F as a precursor. The catalysts synthesized in this study were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 porosimetry, and diffuse reflection infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT) among others. The prepared materials shown, form moderate to high catalytic activities in the microwave-assisted transformation of valeric acid to ethyl valerate via esterification. The incorporation of fluoride anions either into Al-SBA-15 or on Nb1%/Al-SBA-15 led to a linear increase in valeric acid conversion with the F− content. Thus, F− modified mesoporous aluminosilicates efficiently catalyze the transformation of valeric acid into alkyl valerate esters as renewable fuels

One-Pot Cu/TiO2 Nanoparticles Synthesis for Trans-Ferulic Acid Conversion into Vanillin

In this study, the co-synthesis of TiO2 and Cu metallic nanoparticles obtained via one-pot cost-efficient hydrothermal process has been addressed. Different nanocatalysts with Cu contents were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen porosimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The TiO2 and Cu metallic nanoparticles were synthesized with copper loading up to one (Cu/Ti atomic ratio). Synthesized catalysts exhibited pore sizes in the mesoporous range and high surface areas above 150 m2/g. The particle size for TiO2 presented a homogeneous distribution of approximately 8 nm, moreover, Cu nanoparticles varied from 12 to >100 nm depending on the metal loading. The nanostructured materials were successfully tested in the conversion of trans-ferulic acid into vanillin under sustainable conditions, achieving the best performance for 0.3 Cu/Ti atomic ratio (70% vanillin yield)

Simple Preparation of Novel Metal-Containing Mesoporous Starches

Metal-containing mesoporous starches have been synthesized using a simple and efficient microwave-assisted methodology followed by metal impregnation in the porous gel network. Final materials exhibited surface areas >60 m2 g−1, being essentially mesoporous with pore sizes in the 10–15 nm range with some developed inter-particular mesoporosity. These materials characterized by several techniques including XRD, SEM, TG/DTA and DRIFTs may find promising catalytic applications due to the presence of (hydr)oxides in their composition