Description
Conversion efficiency as high as 80–100% and 50% selectivity for camphene and limonene was achieved
with low production of polymeric byproducts (18–28%), easy recovery with a magnet and reuse for up to
five cycles maintaining similar activity and distribution of products, using a new magnetically recyclable
catalyst based on niobium oxide coated on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION)
impregnated with phosphotungstic acid (HPW). The catalyst was demonstrated to be effective in the
selective conversion of alpha and beta-pinenes into valuable terpenes, under ultrasonic probe activation
and with toluene as solvent. A unique synergic effect between the components generating more active
and selective catalytic sites was demonstrated, indicating that the SPION covered with 30 wt% of Nb2O5
gives the best performance when impregnated with HPW as co-catalyst. The materials were fully
characterized by XRD, EDX, XPS, TEM, BET, VSM and FTIR
