23-P-06 - Selective hydroxyethylation of furfuryl alcohol with aqueous acetaldehyde in the presence of H-form zeolites

This chapter discusses the selective hydroxyethylation of furfuryl alcohol with aqueous acetaldehyde in the presence of H-form zeolites. Hydroxyethylation of furfuryl alcohol with aqueous acetaldehyde is performed at 318 K in the presence of FAU, MOR, and MFI zeolites in their protonic form. Besides the hydroxyethylation reaction, two other parallel reactions may compete––that is, oligomerization of acetaldehyde and resinification of furfuryl alcohol. The former reaction is easily controlled over a MFI catalyst with a silicon/aluminum (Si/Al) ratio of 25 but the latter is not, and linear furanic polymers, capable of deactivating the catalyst, are often formed. A selectivity of about 55 % in the carbinol intermediate is initially achieved in the presence of the MFI (25) catalyst for a furfuryl alcohol conversion up to 65 %. However, after the optimization of the kinetic parameters, the selectivity is increased to 95 % but to the detriment of furfuryl alcohol conversion.