One-pot glycerol conversion to acrylic acid catalyzed by Cu modified HY zeolite synthesized from natural resources and pro-analytical precursor

The conversion of glycerol to acrylic acid was carried out by the one-pot process method. The catalyst used in this conversion is Cu-modified HY zeolite synthesized using pro-analytical precursors and alternative precursors from natural resources i.e., Indonesian natural zeolite and kaolin. The crystal structure and physicochemical properties of catalysts were determined by various characterization techniques such as XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDX, TEM, SAA, and TPD-NH₃. Based on XRD analysis, it shows that HY and CuHY, both from synthetic and alternative precursors, are confirmed to have typical peaks of Y zeolite. EDX mapping images show a uniform distribution of Cu on the HY surface. In addition, the TEM analysis also shows uniform particle size distribution. The results of catalytic glycerol conversion show that Cu-modified HY catalysts give a higher acrylic acid yield than HY. The results also show that the highest yield of acrylic acid was obtained in 27.5% and 25.8% at a dehydration time of 3 h using pro-analytical and natural resources CuHY catalyst, respectively. The Cu-modified HY catalysts having weak acid sites show the best catalytic activity in the conversion of glycerol to acrylic acid.