Valorization of Limonene Over Acid Solid Catalysts

Abstract

Limonene has generally been recuperated from orange peels. It is an essential oil with different applications. The limonene is a compound with high importance on biorefineries. Limonene’s commercial value can be improved by different reactions, like alkoxylation, acetoxylation, and hydration reactions. The products of these reactions have high commercial value. Usually, these reactions are performed using inorganic acids, like sulfuric acid. However, these acids have some drawbacks, such as its reutilization and its separation from reaction mixture. To overcome these problems, solid materials (heterogeneous catalysts) have been developed to replace the mineral acids (homogeneous catalysts). Zeolites, heteropolyacids, acid resins and silica can be used as material for limonene valorization. This work is a revision about the valorization of limonene using heterogeneous materials.