Oxidation of Alcohols over Recyclable Zeolite-Supported MnO2 Nanoparticles: A Sustainable Catalytic Approach

MnO2 nanoparticles were eco-friendly synthesized using Lawsonia inermis extract as a capping and stabilizing agent and then immobilized on the surface of 13X molecular sieve zeolite (MnO2@Z). The green-supported catalyst was tested for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BzOH) to benzaldehyde (BzDH) in the presence of H2O2 oxidant. The catalyst was characterized using FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, TGA, and BET analysis. Many tests were performed to study the effects of reaction time, reaction temperature, amount of catalyst, and H2O2:BzOH ratio on the catalytic performance. The highest activity was achieved after 6 h of reaction at 80 °C, using 250 mg catalyst, and 1.25H2O2:1BzOH molar ratio. Utilizing the biochemical properties of Lawsonia inermis extract, a highly stable heterogeneous catalyst was developed for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. This work demonstrates a heterogeneous catalytic oxidation approach with potential sustainability advantages, including catalyst recyclability and the use of H2O2 as an oxidant. Although the current study demonstrates promising catalytic performance, further optimization of catalyst loading, energy consumption, and recovery procedures, together with comprehensive green chemistry assessments, will be required for future scale-up applications.