Enhancement of glycerol rosin ester conversion using zeolite-based catalyst

Glycerol rosin ester (GRE) is extensively used in paint, coating, and adhesives. This study investigated the impact of reaction time, temperature, zeolite-type catalysts, dose and rosin-to-glycerol ratio on esterification of pine rosin. FTIR spectroscopy and acid number measurements confirmed the rosin ester. The highest conversion of 98 % was achieved by natural zeolite catalyst at 250 °C, reaction time 6 hours, catalyst dose of 0.5 %-mass, and rosin to glycerol ratio of 1:1. A higher proportion of strong acid sites in the natural zeolite produced higher conversion compared to ZSM-5, and the catalyst was separable from GRE by high temperature filtration.