Esterification of cyclohexene with formic acid over a peanut shell-derived carbon solid acid catalyst

A carbon solid acid catalyst was prepared by the sulfonation of partially carbonized peanut shell with concentrated H2SO4. The structure and acidity of the catalyst were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and elemental analysis, which showed that it was an amorphous carbon material composed of aromatic carbon sheets in random orientations. Sulfonic acid groups were present on the surface at a density of 0.81 mmol/g. The carbon solid acid catalyst showed better performance than HZSM-5 for the esterification of cyclohexene with formic acid. At a 3:1 molar ratio of formic acid to cyclohexene, catalyst loading of 0.07 g/mL of cyclohexene, and reaction time of 1 h at 413 K, the cyclohexene conversion was 88.4% with 97.3% selectivity to cyclohexyl formate. The carbon solid acid catalyst showed better reusability than HZSM-5 because its large pores were minimally affected by the accumulation of oligomerized cyclohexene, which deactivated HZSM-5. The activity of the carbon solid acid catalyst decreased somewhat in the first two recycles due to the leaching of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon containing –SO3H groups and then it remained constant in the following reuse.