Poly(vinyl alcohol) with sulfonic acid groups as catalyst for the alpha-pinene alkoxylation

The alkoxylation of a-pinene was carried out over poly(vinyl alcohol) containing sulfonic acid groups, as catalyst. The main product of a-pinene alkoxylation was a-terpinyl methyl ether being also formed bornyl methyl ether, fenchyl methyl ether, limonene and terpinolene as by-products. The absorption band at 1037 cm-1 in the FTIR spectrum of PVA_SSA40 (PVA membrane containing 40% of –OH groups esterified with SSA) which does not appear in the spectrum of PVA, indicates the presence of the sulfonic acid groups. The catalytic activity of PVA with sulfonic acid groups increases when the amount of sulfosuccinic acid used in the polymer crosslinking is increased from 5% to 40%. However, when the crosslinking degree increases from 20% to 40%, the conversion of a-pinene increases only slightly. Good values of selectivity to a-terpinyl methyl ether were obtained over poly(vinyl alcohol) with sulfonic acid groups. A simple kinetic model, which fits experimental concentration data quite well, was developed.

Biodiesel production from waste cooking oil over sulfonated catalysts

Biodiesel production from waste cooking oil with methanol was carried out in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) with sulfonic acid groups (PVA-SO3H) and polystyrene with sulfonic acid groups (PS-SO3H), at 60°C. The PVA-SO3H catalyst showed higher catalytic activity than the PS-SO3H one. In order to optimize the reaction conditions, different parameters were studied. An increase of waste cooking oil conversion into fatty acid methyl esters with the amount of PVA-SO3H was observed. When the transesterification and esterification of WCO was carried out with ethanol over PVA-SO3H, at 60°C, a decrease of biodiesel production was also observed. The WCO conversion into fatty acid ethyl ester increased when the temperature was increased from 60 to 80°C. When different amounts of free fatty acids were added to the reaction mixture, a slight increase on the conversion was observed. The PVASO3H catalyst was reused and recycled with negligible loss in the activity.