Oxidative ring‐opening of 2‐methylcyclohexanone catalysed by supported heteropolyacid catalysts for cetane number enhancement

Incipient wetness impregnation method was used to incorporate heteropolyacid H 6 [PV 3 Mo 9 O 40 ]nH 2 O (HPA) on SiO 2 at various HPA loadings (10, 20, 30, 40 wt.% HPA) and calcined temperatures. Catalytic activity of these synthesised catalysts were evaluated through oxidation of 2‐methylcyclohexanone to methyl 6‐oxoheptanoate which was a desired product. In the oxidative conditions the conversion and selectivity of the desired product methyl 6‐oxoheptanoate can reach as high as 97 and 94 wt.%, respectively. The results also suggested that the catalyst with 20 wt.% loading of HPA to be the best one. The catalysts were characterised using a variety of techniques including XRD, BET, FT‐IR and TGA‐DTA. The results indicated that HPA was well dispersed on the SiO 2 supporting material. An engine ignition test following ASTM D6890 standard indicated that the oxidative ring‐opening of cyclohydrocarbons can have a positive impact on the cetane numbers and ignition delay time of fuels. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering