Synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from methanol and urea over zinc-strontia mixed oxide catalysts

A series of ZnO-SrO mixed oxide catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation with different compositions and tested for dimethyl carbonate synthesis from urea and methanol. The catalysts were characterized by BET surface area, XRD, NH3-TPD and CO2-TPD. The catalyst with 1:1 mol ratio exhibited high DMC yield of 35%. The uniform distributions of moderate to strong basic sites along with considerable number of acidic sites are accountable for high activity. Different reaction parameters were also screened and best possible conditions were established. The catalyst was easily recovered and reused with consistent activity.