Preparation and esterification performance of sulfonated coal-based heterogeneous acid catalyst for methyl oleate production

A series of coal-based heterogeneous acid catalysts are prepared by partial carbonization followed by sulfonation approach and the performances in esterification for methyl oleate production are conducted. Characterization methods of XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, TG, FTIR, EDX, acid density tests and Hammett indicator method are carried out to reveal the physical and chemical characteristics of the prepared catalysts. Catalyst with the highest acid density of 1.09 mmol g−1 could be prepared under the condition of carbonization temperature at 350 °C for 2 h and sulfonation with concentrated sulfuric acid at 135 °C for 4 h. Acid value reduction of 97.29% on oleic acid through esterification with methanol, which is catalyzed by this coal-based heterogeneous acid, could be achieved under the optimized condition of 10 wt.% catalyst dosage, molar ratio of methanol/oleic acid of 10, reaction temperature at 67 °C and reaction duration of 4 h. Characterization results demonstrate that carbon in the catalyst, which is composed of aromatic carbon sheets with COOH and SO3H groups, is in amorphous structure and its acid strength is 3.3 < pKa < 0.8. Meanwhile, this catalyst could provide favorable thermal stability high to 220 °C and retain satisfactory catalytic activity after five cycles. In addition, catalytic capability could be reactivated with the acid value reduction efficiency of 95.30% after the fifth re-usage.