Silica-resin-bentonite nanocomposite and its application in catalysis

FEDERICO MARTIN PEREZ; GERARDO SANTORI; FRANCISCO POMPEO; NORA NICHIO

Minerals

MDPI

Año: 2022

2075-163X

Bentonites are natural clays found in abundance in deposits all over the planet and possess certain properties that make them interesting for various industrial applications. Through their activation or acid treatment, they can be used as catalysts in several reactions of interest. However, these materials form colloidal suspensions in water or in aqueous solutions, which make their separation and recovery difficult and prevent their implementation on an industrial scale. To overcome these limitations, in the present work a silica-resin-bentonite composite material was synthesized and activated with HNO3. The activated solids were characterized and evaluated in the catalytic reaction of solketal synthesis from glycerol and acetone. The best results were obtained for a composite containing 47wt.% acidified bentonite at 90°C with a HNO3 concentration of 0.5 M, which was attributed to both its acid site density, 3.9 mmol per gram of bentonite, and the acidic strength of these sites.