Furfural Acetalization with Ethanol over Hierarchical vs. Conventional Beta Zeolites

A set of hierarchical Beta zeolites was synthesized using concentrated reaction mixtures and compared to conventional materials with a similar composition. The obtained zeolite catalysts were investigated in acetalization of furfural with ethanol at room temperature yielding a commercially valuable fuel additive (furfural diethyl acetal). The highest yield of the desired product (91 %) was achieved over a zeolite catalyst possessing developed mesoporosity (V_meso 0.75 cm³/g) and a high external surface area (280 m²/g). The concentration of accessible acid sites was found to be responsible for high catalytic performance of the tested zeolitic catalysts.