Activated peat sludge as heterogenous catalysts for chalcone and its derivatives synthesis

• Main Author: Anastasia, Binti Mohd Shah Nizam Sherman
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) 2016
• Subjects: Q Science (General); QD Chemistry
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/24088/1/Anastasia%20binti%20Mohd%20Shah%20Nizam%20Sherman%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/24088/

Peat biomass can be obtained through sedimentation of peat water via addition of alum. The carbonaceous material with high carbon percentage could be modified to make it more porous by charring at 550 ºC for 2 hr. Chemical activation of biochar using 50 % NaOH produces peat sludge activated carbon (PSAC), a material that is very porous and suitable to be used as catalyst. Impregnation with H2SO4 and NaOH enable it to act as a heterogeneous acid (PSAC-Ac) and base (PSAC-Bc) catalysts. PSAC if combined with silica creates PSAC-Si, a more porous structure with well-defined and arranged pore structures. Thus PSAC-Si with could be made into silica-based acid (PSAC-SiAC) and silica-based (PSACSiBc) catalysts as well. The catalytic properties of these solid catalysts were tested by synthesising chalcone with 0.12 g yield and its derivative 4-chlorochalcone with a yield of 0.03 g. It if found that only PSAC-SiBc managed to produce product yield.