The kinetic evaluation of titania-supported sulfonated fish bone-derived carbon (TiO2/SFBC) as a catalyst in styrene oxidation by aqueous hydrogen peroxide was carried out. The catalysts were prepared by carbonation of fishbone powder at varying temperatures (500, 600, and 700 °C) for 2 hours, followed by sulfonation with sulfuric acid (1M) for 24 hours. The sulfonated carbon was then impregnated with varying titania concentrations (500, 1000, and 1500 µmol).

The physical properties of the catalysts were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis. The catalytic activity results showed that TiO2/SFBC can be used as a potential catalyst in styrene oxidation. It is worth noting that the sulfonation process not only transformed the TiO2/FBC particulates (without sulfonation) into cuboid-shaped TiO2/SFBC (with sulfonation) but also contributed to the high selectivity of benzaldehyde. On the other hand, carbonization at different temperatures had an indistinct effect on catalytic performance due to their similar surface areas. The styrene conversion rate responded positively to the increasing amount of titania in the functionalized composites. The styrene oxidation by aqueous H2O2 followed a first-order reaction with an activation energy of approximately 63.5 kJ.