| Summary: | Mesoporous silica catalysts are porous materials with a highly ordered structure and a high surface area, making them ideal for various chemical reactions, particularly in heterogeneous catalysis. Conventional methods for synthesizing mesoporous silica catalysts rely on high-purity silica sources, which are expensive and environmentally damaging. This study addresses the challenge of synthesizing efficient and selective catalysts from waste-derived silica, specifically coal bottom ash, which contains a significant amount of silica. Mesoporous silica materials such as Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 (MCM-41) and Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 (SBA-15) were produced from silica sourced from waste coal bottom ash and functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to improve hydrophobicity and catalytic efficiency. The catalytic efficiency of functionalized MCM-41 and SBA-15 was evaluated in the liquid-phase oxidation of cyclohexene under controlled experimental conditions. At the 6-hour mark, the highest cyclohexene conversion percentages were achieved with functionalized MCM-41 and SBA-15, reaching 84.05% and 62.49%, respectively. 2-cyclohexen-1-one was identified as the primary product, while 2-cyclohexen-1-ol was the minor product. The functionalized MCM-41 and SBA-15 showed 51.13% and 62.90% selectivity towards 2-cyclohexen-1-one, respectively. This study demonstrated the enhanced hydrophobicity of amine-modified mesoporous materials due to the attachment of the amine group on the silica surface, making them effective and reliable catalysts in the cyclohexene oxidation reaction. © Malaysian Journal of Microscopy (2024). All rights reserved.
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