Liquid-phase dehydration of sorbitol to isosorbide using sulfated titania as a solid acid catalyst

Liquid-phase dehydration of sorbitol to isosorbide has been carried out for the first time with sulfated titania (S-TiO2) catalyst and its performance was compared with the catalytic activity of titania (TiO2) to investigate the effect of sulfation. The catalyst was produced in situ from titanium isopropoxide and sulfuric acid as the source for TiO2 and the sulfate group, respectively. The optimum reaction conditions e.g. temperature, catalyst dosage and reaction time were investigated for the dehydration reaction using the sulfated catalyst. As a result, S-TiO2, which contains sulfate acidic sites, is a promising catalyst for liquid-phase dehydration of sorbitol to isosorbide.

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► Isosorbide is produced in liquid-phase dehydration of sorbitol.
► The liquid-phase dehydration is carried out firstly with sulfated titania catalysts.
► Sulfated titania is suggested as a reusable catalyst for the isosorbide production.