Preparation, characterization and application of sulfated Ti-SBA-15 catalyst for oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde

Benzaldehyde is an important chemical and has tremendous application in cosmetics, perfumery, food, dyestuff, agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. In the present investigation, threefold increase in oxidative property of mesoporous Ti-SBA-15 was observed by treatment with chlorosulfonic acid. Physio-chemical properties of this catalyst were analyzed by BET surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), FTIR, and NH3-temperature programmed desorption (TPD) techniques. The super acidic nature of the catalyst is shown by NH3-TPD profile. Enhanced acidity of the catalyst increases benzyl alcohol conversion from 20 to 62% without affecting benzaldehyde selectivity (95%).

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► The catalytic activity of Ti-SBA-15 and sulfated Ti-SBA-15 were compared.
► Threefold increase in oxidative property of Ti-SBA-15 was observed by sulfation.
► Catalyst is reused for four times with marginal decrease in catalytic activity.