Etherification of furfuryl alcohol to butyl levulinate using ion-exchange resins

Abstract

The objective of this research is the study of the synthesis reaction of butyl levulinate (BL) from furfuryl alcohol (FA) and 1-butanol (BUT) by using commercial ion-exchange resins as catalysts. There’s two stages in the reaction: a conversion of FA to 2-(butoxymethyl)furan (Bmf) and the production of BL from the intermediate mentioned. The main drawback of this reaction is the polymerization of FA, producing some insoluble substances as oligomeric products, for example, 5-5-dibutoxy-2-pentanone (DBPent), resulting in a drop of selectivity. During the last years, the production of BL is being investigated, since interest in the use of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of chemicals, fuel or energy increases at the same time that global awareness do about fuels resource depletion and the environmental impact causes to carry out some industrial processes. So the search for an effective and economical process for obtaining this product without bringing about severe changes in the environment is imperative. The project will work at a temperature of 100°C using different types of ion-exchange resins (macroreticulars and gel-type resins) to carry out a comparison of the selectivity, conversion and yield obtained with the use of each of them and give possible explanations of observed facts through their individual characteristics (degree of crosslinking, acid capacity and DVB percentage). To see the reaction rates varying the catalysts, representations of the evolution of Bmf and BL moles produced will be realized. The effect of the temperature in the reaction is studied too, carrying out the reaction at temperatures among 80 ºC and 110 ºC. Finally, two different initial molar ratio are used to see the effect of this parameter along the reaction course.