Advancing sustainable biofuel additive production via urea-carbonylated mannose over lanthanum triflate supported on aluminum oxide catalysts
RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES, vol.51, no.9, pp.4957-4984, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 51 Issue: 9
- Publication Date: 2025
- Doi Number: 10.1007/s11164-025-05662-w
- Journal Name: RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, Environment Index
- Page Numbers: pp.4957-4984
- Kocaeli University Affiliated: No
Abstract
This study reports the successful synthesis of a lanthanum triflate-supported alumina (LT/Al2O3) catalyst for the production of mannose carbonate via the alcoholysis of urea and D-mannose. This bifunctional catalytic system enables a solvent-free, one-pot process at a moderate temperature (140 degrees C), achieving high yields of mannose carbonate (69-96%) with reduced side product formation compared to conventional methods. The catalyst demonstrated a synergistic effect between the strong Lewis acid sites of La3(+) and the high surface area of the Al2O3 support, leading to enhanced catalytic performance relative to unsupported lanthanum triflate. A novel synthetic pathway was proposed based on compound identification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), using spectral matching with reference mass spectral libraries. Catalyst recyclability was evaluated over five consecutive reaction cycles, with the regenerated catalyst maintaining activity and achieving an 86.54% yield through the fourth cycle. Additionally, the gasoline-mannose carbonate blend exhibited a lower maximum exhaust temperature (430 degrees C) compared to commercial gasoline (470 degrees C), indicating improved thermal efficiency attributed to the blend's reduced viscosity. The blend also demonstrated a superior cooling effect and was able to maintain the lubricant oil at 115 degrees C compared to 123 degrees C with commercial gasoline, further supporting its potential as an energy-efficient fuel additive.