Catalytic adipic acid production through the cyclohexene oxidation by a non-HNO3 route over SBA-16 supported Venturello catalyst

Developing new efficient catalytic systems for adipic acid (AA) production is currently a topic of high importance, as AA has a tremendous applied importance. To that end, herein we designed a heterogeneous catalyst by post-synthesis modification of mesoporous SBA-16 with Venturello anion and demonstrate its application for AA production. On the basis of the characterization results of N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques, no deterioration of the mesopores of SBA-16 was occurred throughout the catalyst preparation. The resultant catalyst was successfully employed in the oxidation of cyclohexene to AA with utilizing H2O2 30% as green oxidant. Some parameters affecting the AA yield were examined, and the highest AA yield of 89% (TON = 890, TOF = 148 h−1) was accomplished over 6 h of reaction time. Additionally, the catalyst revealed high recycling efficiency for consecutive catalytic cycles with almost similar activity.