Hydration of α-pinene over zeolites and activated carbons dispersed in polymeric membranes

Abstract The acid catalysed hydration of α-pinene yields a complex mixture of monoterpenes, alcohols and hydrocarbons. By controlling the reaction variables is possible to make it selective to the terpenic alcohols, namely α-terpineol. In this paper the results of the hydration reaction of α-pinene catalysed by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes filled with zeolite USY, zeolite beta or a surface modified activated carbon, are reported. The reaction is carried out at 50°C, using aqueous acetone as solvent. The activity and selectivity towards α-terpineol of the composite membranes are compared with those of the free catalysts.