Simultaneous esterification and transesterification of soybean oil with methanol catalyzed by mesoporous Ta2O5/SiO2-[H3PW12O40/R] (R = Me or Ph) hybrid catalysts

The mesoporous Ta2O5 material functionalized with both alkyl groups and a Keggin-type heteropoly acid, Ta2O5/SiO2-[H3PW12O40/R] (R = Me or Ph), was prepared in a single step by the combination of sol-gel co-condensation, templated self-assembly, and hydrothermal treatment in the presence of a triblock copolymer surfactant. Compared with alkyl-free H3PW12O40/Ta2O5 catalyst, the as-prepared hybrid catalyst exhibited much higher catalytic activity and stability to simultaneous esterification and transesterification of soybean oil (in the presence of 20 wt% myristic acid) with methanol undermild conditions.