Summary: | In this study, two materials based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO<sub>H</sub> or rGO<sub>E</sub>) were synthesized through the Hummers methodology and a more sustainable electrochemical method. These materials were extensively characterized and tested as catalysts in solketal production. Both rGO<sub>H</sub> and rGO<sub>E</sub> demonstrated significant catalytic activity, achieving 66.18% and 63.97% conversion rates, respectively. The catalytic activity of the synthesized materials was 30 times more efficient than the homogeneous catalyst <i>p</i>-Toluenesulfonic acid. Pseudo-homogeneous and heterogeneous kinetic models were employed to gain further insights into the glycerol ketalization reaction with acetone. The pseudo-homogeneous model suggested that the direct rate constant was lower than the reverse rate constant. In this sense, a reversible bimolecular reaction was proposed. The heterogeneous kinetic models revealed that in the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson mechanism, the controlling step of the reaction was the glycerol-acetone surface reaction on the catalyst. In contrast, in the Eley-Rideal mechanism, the reaction was controlled by the adsorbed glycerol on the reaction surface reacting with the available acetone in the bulk fluid. In the reusability tests, the rGO<sub>E</sub> catalyst demonstrated superior performance over five consecutive cycles, maintaining the highest activity without needing post-reaction washing or treatment.
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