Copper molybdate synthesized by sonochemistry route at room temperature as an efficient solid catalyst for esterification of oleic acid

•Easy obtention of Cu3(MoO4)2(OH)2 by sonochemistry route at room temperature.•Urchin-like morphology was obtained in aqueous solution using the sonochemistry method for copper molybdate.•High conversion rate in the esterification of oleic acid using the Cu3(MoO4)2(OH)2 as a solid catalyst. Copper molybdate nanoplates were synthesized by a sonochemical process at room temperature, which we report as a simple and cost-effective route. Structural analysis of the material by the Rietveld method of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data revealed lindgrenite Cu3(MoO4)2(OH)2 in a single-phase structure. All the vibrational modes characteristic of the space group were identified by Raman vibrational and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopies. The profile obtained for N2 adsorption/desorption was type III hysteresis, characteristic of mesoporous materials, with a surface area of 70.77(1) m2 g−1. The micrographs of the material obtained by scanning electron microscopy showed nanoplates with nanometric sizes and an anisotropic growth aspect. The catalytic activity of lindgrenite was evaluated by esterifying oleic acid with methanol, showing high conversion rate to methyl oleate and good catalyst stability after seven recycling cycles. Above all, the best catalytic performance was reached when we optimized parameters such as oleic acid:methanol molar ratio of 1:5, 5% of catalyst dosage, and reaction time of 5 h, resulting in 98.38% of conversion at 413 K. Therefore, sonochemically synthesized lindgrenite proved to be a high potential material for biofuel production by oleic acid esterification.