Catalytic activity of Ni and La impregnated MCM ‐41 for the synthesis of biofuel additives through the acetalization of glycerol with furfural

Abstract Background Furfural is one of the valuable chemicals that can be generated from acid hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass waste. Synthesizing cyclic acetals via the reaction of glycerol with furfural is a sustainable approach for converting a biodiesel side‐product and nontoxic glycerol into fuel additives. Within this scope, this study aimed to react glycerol and furfural on Ni‐La/MCM‐41 catalyst series to obtain 1,3‐dioxane and 1,3‐dioxolan. Before the catalytic test, the catalysts were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT‐IR), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and N 2 adsorption–desorption analysis. The reaction was performed in a batch‐stirred glass reactor for parametric studies to observe the influence of catalyst type (La/MCM‐41, Ni/MCM‐41, Ni‐La/MCM‐41), temperature (85 and 95 °C), glycerol/furfural molar ratio (1:4 and 1:5), and time (15 and 45 min). Results The optimum reaction conditions were determined as 1:5 glycerol: furfural molar ratio, 85°C, and 30 min duration with 20% Ni‐loaded MCM‐41 catalyst to obtain 38% glycerol conversion. In these conditions, the dioxolane and dioxane product selectivities were observed as 63% and 37%, respectively. Conclusion This study enables a way to valorize two biomass‐derived excess chemicals on La and Ni catalysts for the first time in the literature. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).