@article {48933,
	title = {Novel sulfonic acid functionalized silica supported isonicotinic acid catalyst for conversion of 2-methylfuran to diesel fuel precursors},
	journal = {Catalysis Letters},
	volume = {154},
	year = {2024},
	month = {APR},
	pages = {1511-1520},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {<p>Polyfuranic compounds produced after carbon up-gradation of 2-methylfuran by acid catalyzed C-C bond forming reactions when undergo hydro-deoxygenation produce diesel fuel. Herein, we prepared a simple and novel silica supported sulfonic acid functionalized isonicotinic acid SO3H-INA@SiO2 catalyst by treating isonicotinic acid with chlorosulphonic acid followed by heterogenization on silica. This heterogeneous solid acid catalyst was explored for the solvent free conversion of 2-methylfuran to diesel fuel precursors of C-15 and C-20 units via tandem ring opening followed by condensation sequence. Under optimized reaction conditions, SO3H-INA@SiO2 was able to convert, 2-methylfuran completely into condensation products such as 5,5-bis(5-methylfuran-2-yl)pentan-2-one (1) and 2,4,4-tris(5-methylfuran-2-yl)pentan-1-ol (2) with 19\% and 67\% yields, respectively. The heterogeneous SO3H-INA@SiO2 catalyst was successfully recycled up to six consecutive runs without loss of its activity. The SO3H-INA@SiO2 catalyst offered superior activity as compared to the commercially available -SO3H functionalized resins. Superior activity of the prepared catalyst could be attributed for its higher acidity, smaller particle size and high surface area. Structure of the prepared catalyst was confirmed by FTIR and solid state NMR. Total acidity of the prepared catalyst was determined by acid-base titration.</p>
},
	keywords = {2-Methylfuran, Diesel fuel, heterogeneous catalyst, Ionic solid, solid acid},
	issn = {1011-372X},
	doi = {10.1007/s10562-023-04383-2},
	author = {Tarade, Komal P. and Kamble, Sanjay P. and Rode, Chandrashekhar V.}
}
@article {49819,
	title = {Efficient continuous catalytic process for production of bisphenol A},
	journal = {Organic Process Research \& Development},
	volume = {29},
	year = {2025},
	month = {OCT},
	pages = {2530-2543},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {<p>
	Bisphenol A (BPA) is a versatile chemical compound that is essential for producing durable polycarbonate plastics and strong epoxy resins, which are integral to numerous everyday products. In the present study, BPA was prepared using phenol and acetone using a highly active and reusable ion-exchange resin (IER) Lewatit K1131S as the catalyst. Under optimized conditions, an acetone conversion of 84\% and a BPA selectivity of 94\% were achieved. The produced BPA was further purified, resulting in a 96\% isolated yield with 99.5\% purity. The reusability of Lewatit K1131S has been studied, and it was found that it can be reused multiple times without affecting the selectivity for BPA. The kinetics of the reaction was studied using the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model; it was found that the reaction follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the apparent activation energy was determined to be 12.7 kJ/mol. A continuous pilot scale process for the production of BPA using a fixed-bed reactor (packed with ion-exchange resin) has been developed. Pilot plant trials were conducted at different flow rates such as 200, 300, and 500 g/h, and a downstream processing methodology using an agitated thin film evaporator (ATFE) was employed for the BPA purification. This resulted in high throughput, producing 99.2\% isolated BPA yield with 99.5\% HPLC purity. Additionally, the robustness and viability of the catalyst were assessed at a flow rate of 200 g/h, producing 22.5 kg of BPA per kg of catalyst, highlighting its cost-effectiveness, stability, and resistance to deactivation, which shows its suitability for industrial-scale applications. The environmental viability of the process was further evaluated by using the E-factor and Process Mass Intensity (PMI) metrics. The estimated E-factor was 0.3118, while the corresponding PMI was 1.3935. These lower values indicate reduced waste generation, improved material efficiency, and enhanced sustainability of the process.</p>
},
	keywords = {bisphenolA, BPA purification, Continuous process, E-factor, ion-exchange resins (IER), PMI, process optimization, reactionkinetics},
	issn = {1083-6160},
	doi = {10.1021/acs.oprd.5c00204},
	author = {Dhotre, Kapil and Patil, Chetana Rupak and Tarade, Komal P. and Markandeya, Nishant and Pathak, Abhishek and Bhongale, Sunil S. and Kamble, Sanjay P.}
}
