SULFONIC GRAFTING ON RECYCLED CELLULOSIC FABRICS: STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION AND ESTERIFICATION EFFICIENCY

In the current transition towards green chemistry, developing renewable, low-cost, and recyclable catalysts represents a strategic pathway for esterification processes and biomass valorization. This study reports the synthesis and characterization of a bio-sourced heterogeneous acid catalyst derived from recycled cellulosic fabric. The raw support was activated through selective oxidation using sodium metaperiodate, yielding Cell CHO with a 4.6% mass loss, indicative of diol conversion into reactive aldehyde groups. Subsequent sulfonation using chlorosulfonic acid enabled covalent introduction of SO H moieties, producing Cell SO H with a functionalization yield of 92.5%. FT-IR analyses revealed characteristic bands at 1720 cm (C=O) and 1040 1180 cm (S=O/SO), confirming the incorporation of oxidized and acidic functionalities.