title: Hydrothermal preparation and characterization of novel corncob-derived solid acid catalysts.
abstract: Novel corncob-derived solid acid catalysts were successfully synthesized for the first time by the hydrothermal method. The influences of different preparation conditions were investigated, and the structure-function relationships of the resulting catalysts were also discussed on the basis of the analysis of structure and composition. In comparison to conventional solid acid catalysts, the corncob-derived catalyst synthesized under optimized conditions exhibited higher catalytic activity in esterification reactions, yielding nearly 90% methyl oleate in only 2 h. The catalyst retained satisfactory catalytic activity for esterification, even after 8 reaction cycles. Solid-state magic angle spinning (MAS) (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) investigations further indicated that the catalyst was composed of polycyclic aromatic carbon sheets bearing -SO3H, -COOH, and -OH groups in adequate amounts and with proper proportions, contributing to its excellent catalytic activity. This work provides a green method to synthesize solid acid catalysts from biomass wastes and may contribute to a holistic approach for biomass conversion.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, and §School of Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University , 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, Anhui 230036, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jiabao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Weiwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Beijiu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Jingdong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Suwen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002384:Catalysis; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014866:Waste Products