On the Effect of the M3+ Origin on the Properties and Aldol Condensation Performance of MgM3+ Hydrotalcites and Mixed Oxides

Hydrotalcites (HTCs) are promising solid base catalysts to produce advanced biofuels by aldol condensation. Their main potential lies in the tunability of their acid-base properties by varying their composition. However, the relationship between the composition of hydrotalcites, their basicity, and their catalytic performance has not yet been fully revealed. Here, we investigate systematically the preparation of HTCs with the general formula of Mg6M3+2(OH)16CO3·4H2O, where M3+ stands for Al, Ga, Fe, and In, while keeping the Mg/M3+ equal to 3. We use an array of analytical methods including XRD, N2 physisorption, CO2-TPD, TGA-MS, FTIR-ATR, and SEM to assess changes in the properties and concluded that the nature of M3+ affected the HTC crystallinity. We show that the basicity of the HTC-derived mixed oxides decreased with the increase in atomic weight of M3+, which was reflected by decreased furfural conversion in its aldol condensation with acetone. We demonstrate that all MgM3+ mixed oxides can be fully rehydrated, which boosted their activity in aldol condensation. Taking all characterization results together, we conclude that the catalytic performance of the rehydrated HTCs is determined by the “host” MgO component, rather than the nature of M3+.