Sulfonic acid functionalized poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole) as a high-performance solid acid catalyst for the esterification of lactic acid with methanol

► We used poly(EGDMA-VTAZ-SO3H) solid catalyst for the esterification of methyl lactate. ► We investigated the effect of water production during the esterification reaction. ► The activation energies are compared with those of other traditional acid catalysts. ► From nitrogen physisorption data, high surface area and type II isotherm are obtained. ► High density of acid sites is detrimental for the esterification reaction.