Esterification of fatty acid catalyzed by hydrothermally stable propylsulfonic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica SBA-15.

Propylsulfonic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica SBA-15 has been synthesized via one-step strategy at 130°C based on the co-condensation of TEOS and MPTMS in the presence of Pluronic 123 polymer and H₂O₂ in HCl aqueous solution. The synthesized solid exhibited hydrothermal stability in boiling water without significant change in textural properties. The catalytic performance of the synthesized solid was studied in the esterification of oleic acid with methanol. The experimental results revealed that the large mesopore structures of SBA-15-PrSO₃H solid synthesized at 130°C could favor a facile access of oleic acid to the acid sites, making the comparable activity to that of phenyl ethyl sulfonic acid functionalized silica and higher than that of dry amberlyst-15.