12-Tungstophosphoric acid anchored to MCM-22, as a novel sustainable catalyst for the synthesis of potential biodiesel blend, levulinate ester

The present article demonstrates a synthesis of a green, novel and sustainable heterogeneous catalyst comprising 12-tungstophosphoric acid and zeolitic support- MCM-22. Detailed characterization of the catalyst was carried out using various physicochemical techniques and its catalytic activity was explored for the production of butyl levulinate, a potential fuel blend candidate. The comparison with other phosphotungstate based catalysts showcases the outstanding activity of the present catalyst towards esterification of levulinic acid at 90 °C with 68% conversion, 99% ester selectivity and TOF of 212 h −1 . Furthermore, it exhibits excellent reusability for multiple catalytic runs (six runs) and illustrates feasibility for the synthesis of varied levulinate esters (65–78% conversion) having a range of carbon chain lengths (C3–C8).