This article reports on the use of poly-(styrene sulphonic acid) (PSSA) prepared by sulphonation of polystryrene waste as catalyst in reactions demanding acid sites. Two different waste derived catalysts (waste to catalyst, WTC) were studied: soluble PSSA (WTC-PSSA) and solid SiO2-PSSA nanocomposite (WTC-SiO2-PSSA). The catalytic properties of these waste derived acid catalysts have been explored in three different reactions of interest in biomass valorization: biodiesel synthesis, xylose dehydration to furfural and furfural oxidation to maleic and succinic acids. The results show that both soluble and nanocomposite WTC catalysts present promising catalytic properties. The WTC-PSSA requires ultrafiltration for reutilization whereas the WTC-SiO2-PSSA can be separated from the reaction mixtures by more usual techniques (centrifugation or conventional filtration). Further research is required for improving the hydrothermal stability of WTC-SiO2-PSSA in order to substantially reduce the leaching of polymer that takes place during the catalytic runs.

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CTQ2012-38204-C03-01, CARBIOCAT) and the Autonomous Government of Madrid (S2009/ENE-1660, CARDENER-CM partly funded by FSE funds).

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