Esterification of Stearic Acid with Triethanolamine over Zirconium Sulfate Supported on SBA-15 Mesoporous Molecular Sieve

Zirconium sulfate supported on SBA-15 (pore diameter about 6 nm) mesoporous molecular sieve was synthesized. Various techniques, such as nitrogen adsorption desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and temperature-programmed desorption, were used to characterize the prepared catalysts. It was shown that the catalyst exhibited straight, parallel, and uniform channels, zirconium sulfate had been finely dispersed on the surface of SBA-15, and most of the zirconium sulfate species were located inside the pore channels. The catalyst contained two kinds of acid sites with different strengths. Zirconium sulfate supported on SBA-15 was used to catalyze the esterification of stearic acid with triethanolamine and recycling was used. The composition of ester-amine was analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The analytic results showed that the catalytic activity and selectivity of zirconium sulfate supported on SBA-15 in the esterification of stearic acid and triethanolamine was better than that of phosphorous acid, zirconium sulfate supported on MCM-41, and zirconium sulfate supported on SBA-15.