ChemEngineering, Vol. 9, Pages 86: A Glycerol Acetylation Study on a Tin Ferrite Nanocatalyst

ChemEngineering doi: 10.3390/chemengineering9040086

Authors:
Rami Doukeh
Andreea-Cătălina Joe
Ion Onuțu
Iuliana Veronica Ghețiu
Marian Băjan
Gabriel Vasilievici
Dorin Bomboș
Abeer Baioun
Cașen Panaitescu
Ionuț Banu
Romuald Győrgy

In this study, a novel magnetic nanocatalyst based on tin ferrite (SnFe2O4) was synthesized via a chemical co-precipitation method and thoroughly characterized using XRD, SEM, TGA-DTG, BET, FTIR, and FTIR-pyridine techniques. The catalyst exhibited high crystallinity, a mesoporous structure with a specific surface area of 79.7 m2/g, and well-defined Lewis and Brønsted acid sites. Its catalytic performance was assessed in the esterification of glycerol with acetic acid to produce monoacetin (MAG), diacetin (DAG), and triacetin (TAG). A Box–Behnken experimental design was employed to evaluate the influence of temperature, catalyst loading, and the acetic-acid-to-glycerol molar ratio on product distribution and glycerol conversion. Statistical analysis and regression modeling revealed excellent predictive accuracy (R2 > 0.99), confirming the robustness of the model. Optimal reaction conditions (110 °C, 2 wt.% catalyst, and AA/GLY ratio of 3.6) yielded a maximum glycerol conversion of 93.2% and a combined DAG and TAG yield of ~59.1%. These results demonstrate the high efficiency and selectivity of the synthesized SnFe2O4 catalyst, making it a promising candidate for sustainable glycerol valorization.

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