This study deals with the possibility of the application of a low-cost sulfonated carbon-based catalyst for reactive extraction to separate 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) from a model solution of 1,3-PDO biologically derived from glycerol The catalyst was synthesized by incomplete carbonization of naphthalene in sulfuric acid, and was demonstrated to be active for the acetalization of 1,3-PDO with acetaldehyde in aqueous solution The performance of the reactive extraction process by using a sulfonated carbon-based catalyst was proven to be excellent based on the percent recovery rate of 1,3-PDO These results along with those on the catalyst reactivity demonstrate that the carbon-based catalyst can be used to replace expensive commercial catalysts currently used such as Dowex 50-WX4-200 and Amberlite IR120