Aldol Condensation of Furfural with Acetone by Using Mg–Al–O- <i>t</i> -Bu HT Catalyst and Kinetic Studies

An environment-friendly method for producing jet fuel precursors involves the aldol condensation of biomass-derived chemicals. In this study, the condensation reaction between furfural and acetone was performed using a Mg–Al–O-t-Bu hydrotalcite (HT) catalyst, achieving a furfural conversion of 99% and a selectivity of 82% toward 4-(2-furyl)-3-buten-2-one (FAc). The kinetics of the process were evaluated using a Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson (LHHW) model across a range of temperatures, and the model showed an excellent fit to the experimental data. The effect of different catalysts, reaction temperatures, catalyst loadings, molar ratios, and reaction times was systematically investigated. The Mg–Al–O-t-Bu HT catalyst was extensively analyzed through techniques such as XRD, XPS, FTIR, nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements, and CO2-TPD. The catalyst exhibited excellent stability, maintaining its performance consistently across five successive reaction cycles with no notable decline in activity. These findings highlight the industrial relevance of Mg–Al–O-t-Bu HT as a robust and recyclable solid base catalyst for biomass upgrading, with strong potential for process scale-up in renewable fuel production.