<p>In this study, a heterogeneous catalyst was designed by comprising dodecatungstophosphoric acid and SBA-16 by wet impregnation method. It is characterized by different physiochemical techniques BET, EDX, TGA, FT-IR, ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy, and TEM. The chemicals shift of the Si–O–Si peaks in the ²⁹Si NMR suggesting strong interaction between the active species and support. Its catalytic activity showed significant performance in the production of butyl levulinate, a promising fuel blend candidate via esterification of levulinic acid with n-butanol (93% conversion and 99% selectivity), following second order kinetic reaction with an activation energy 64&#xa0;kJ/mol. Characterization of the recycled catalyst shows intact properties and reusability for up to three consecutive cycles. The present catalyst is superior to the previously reported ones with an outstanding turnover number (3571) and turnover frequency (595&#xa0;h⁻¹). The industrial applicability of the catalyst was demonstrated by the esterification of different bio-based acids with minimal environmental impact.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>