Sodium nitrate modified SBA-15 and fumed silica for efficient production of acrylic acid and 2,3-pentanedione from lactic acid

The catalytic conversion of lactic acid to acrylic acid and 2,3-pentanedione over sodium nitrate-supported mesoporous SBA-15 and fumed silica was studied. The yields of acrylic acid, 2,3-pentanedione, and acetaldehyde are 44.8%, 25.1%, and 13.3%, respectively, over the 23%NaNO3/SBA-15 catalyst. The performance of the catalysts is strongly affected by NaNO3 loading, catalyst texture and porosity, and product diffusion efficiency. A proper control of NaNO3 loading can result in modification catalyst structure for improvement of 2,3-pentanedione selectivity. Under certain reaction conditions, the surface NaNO3 species can readily transform to sodium lactate that functions as active component to catalyze the target reactions. (C) 2013 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.