Work

Sustainable friedel-crafts acylation of furan using nanocrystalline ZSM-5: A green catalytic approach

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The Friedel-Crafts acylation of furan with acetic anhydride to produce 2-acylfuran is of significant industrial importance to produce key intermediates. However, the current process usually uses liquid acids that are extremely polluting as catalysts, which is problematic for the environment. As industries continue to seek environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternatives, these green catalysts heterogeneous catalysts in a solventless green process offers a sustainable approach to chemical synthetic processes hold great promise for a wide range of applications. In the present study, nanocrystalline ZSM-5 and rare-earth ion-exchanged nanocrystalline ZSM-5 were used as heterogeneous catalysts in the liquid-phase acylation of furan with acetic anhydride. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using advanced techniques, including DLS, XRD, and SEM. Under optimized conditions, the catalyst demonstrated significantly superior performance compared to previous methods, achieving 94.1% conversion with 100% selectivity towards the desired product, 2-acylfuran.

Source: Chemical Engineering Journal Advances

DOI: 10.1016/j.ceja.2025.100970

Author: Khadijah H. Alharbi

Institution: King Abdulaziz University

Language: English

Topic: Chemical Synthesis and Reactions

Subfield: Organic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,050