Glycerol carbonate production from transesterification of glycerol with diethyl carbonate catalyzed by Ca/Al-mixed oxides derived from hydrocalumite

A series of Ca/Al-mixed oxides derived from hydrocalumite (HC) with Ca/Al atomic ratio of 2 was prepared by calcination at different temperatures and they were evaluated in transesterification of glycerol with diethyl carbonate (DEC) to produce glycerol carbonate (GC). HC was tested as non-calcined and calcined at different temperatures (600, 700, 800, and 900 degrees C). The catalysts presented a well-crystallized structure with low specific surface area. Non-calcined hydrocalumite presented higher density of basic sites (571 mu mol g(-1)) with major proportion of strong basic sites; after calcination, catalyst basicity dropped dramatically. Reactions were performed with different temperatures (from 90 to 130 degrees C), catalyst amounts (5, 10, and 15 wt%), and solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethylformamide). Promising results were found using HC calcined at 700 degrees C, reaching 90% of glycerol conversion and 91% of GC selectivity at 130 degrees C.

Automated summary

In this study, Ca/Al-mixed oxides derived from hydrocalumite were evaluated as catalysts for the transesterification of glycerol with diethyl carbonate. The performance of the catalysts varied with the calcination temperature, and the HC calcined at 700 degrees C showed promising results.