Morphological Effects on Catalytic Performance of LTL Zeolites in Acylation of 2-Methylfuran Enhanced by Non-Microwave Instant Heating

Morphological characteristics of zeolites can have significant effects on the catalytic reactions. However, the roles of zeolite morphology on catalytic reactions, particularly Friedel-Crafts acylation of 2-methylfuran, are still not clear. Hence, LTL-type zeolites with different morphologies are prepared by using bamboo leaf bio-silica source where the zeolites are used to elucidate the morphological properties in this acylation reaction. The results show that LTL zeolites with short-rod, cylindrical, stick-like and nanosized shapes can be prepared by simply tuning the water content of the precursor hydrogels and the crystallization time. The morphological properties of LTL zeolites are also found to have pronounced influences on their surface properties (surface areas, pore volumes, number of micropore channels, textural properties) and acidity (amount, strength and type) where these properties affect their catalytic activity in acylation of 2-methylfuran under non-microwave instant heating condition. Furthermore, the influence of temperature and heating time on the kinetics of catalytic acylation of 2-methylfuran, and the catalytic comparative study between nanosized LTL zeolite and several homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts are also discussed.