Influence of the structure and acidity of zeolites on the synthesis of solketal from glycerol and acetone

In order to establish the main factors that make it possible to regulate the activity and selectivity of the solketal synthesis process from glycerol and acetone, the acidic and catalytic properties of mordenite (MOR, SiO2 /Al2O3 = 29.2) and faujasite (FAU, SiO2 /Al2O3 = 14.9, 97 and 810) were studied. The reaction was investigated at 25 and 50°C, at acetone/glycerol molar ratio of 2.5. In the presence of zeolites, solketal is the main product with a selectivity of 88.1–94.7 %. It has been shown that the main factors determining the conversion of glycerol and the yield of solketal are the availability of reagents to active sites, the number and strength of acid sites, as well as their resistance to the poisoning effect of water molecules formed during the reaction.