Amphiphilic property of niobium oxyhydroxide for waste glycerol conversion to produce solketal

•Amphiphilic catalysts were synthesized using NbCl5 in the presence of the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide.•The mass spectrometry showed that solketal was produced with high selectivity.•The surfactant introduction over the catalyst increases strongly the conversion capacity.

Amphiphilic catalysts are synthesized using NbCl5 in the presence of the CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) to generate partial hydrophobicity to the catalysts. The partial hydrophobicity of the niobium oxyhydroxides improved the acetalization reaction of a residual glycerol from biodiesel production by decreasing the interaction between the water molecules and the acid sites of the catalyst. A waste glycerol conversion of 73% with a selectivity to solketal (2,2-dimethyl-[1,3]dioxolan-4-yl)methanol of 95% was obtained. Many reuses of the catalysts showed glycerol conversions between 70 and 80%.

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