Efficient Solketal Synthesis via Acetalization Using Sulfonated Carbon From Lavender Leaf Waste After Essential Oil...

Area of Science:

• Sustainable chemistry
• Catalysis
• Renewable energy

Background:

• Biomass-derived catalysts offer sustainability advantages for the biodiesel industry.
• Readily available, non-toxic, and biodegradable catalysts are crucial for green chemistry.
• Lavender residue, an agro-industrial byproduct, presents an underutilized resource.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize sulfonated carbon catalysts from lavender biomass residue.
• To evaluate the catalyst's efficacy in producing solketal via glycerol acetalization.
• To explore a novel application for lavender waste in renewable fuel additive production.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of lavender residue followed by in situ sulfonation.
• Catalyst characterization using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).
• Solketal synthesis and product confirmation via Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

Main Results:

• XRD and FT-IR confirmed amorphous carbon structure with successful sulfonic acid group (─SO3H) incorporation.
• High yields achieved: 97% glycerol conversion and 98% selectivity for solketal under mild conditions (40°C, 30 min).
• Catalyst demonstrated excellent stability, retaining >96% conversion and >97% selectivity over seven reuse cycles.

Conclusions:

• Lavender biomass residue is a viable and sustainable precursor for efficient heterogeneous catalyst synthesis.
• The developed sulfonated carbon catalyst shows significant potential for producing solketal, a valuable bio-based fuel additive.
• This research contributes to waste valorization and the development of sustainable catalytic processes in the renewable energy sector.