Supported ionic liquids as green catalyst for 2‐butanol synthesis from transesterification of <i>sec</i>‐butyl acetate

Abstract

Abstract Two supported ionic liquids using molecular sieve SBA‐15 as supporter were prepared and employed as efficient catalysts for the synthesis of 2‐butanol (SBOH) via the transesterification of sec ‐butyl acetate and methanol (MeOH). [SBA‐15‐Ps‐im]HSO 4 performed better in the catalytic activity and was chosen for further studying the influence of experimental conditions. The effects of various parameters, such as the catalyst dosage, initial reactant molar ratio, and reaction time on the reaction were investigated systematically. The maximum conversion of sec ‐butyl acetate (89.2%) was obtained under the optimum reaction conditions. In addition, the catalyst of supported ionic liquids can be easily separated by simple filtration, and the reusability test indicates that the catalyst has outstanding utility for repeated use. © 2016 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.