A Brief Review on Industrial Alternatives for the Manufacturing of Glycerol Carbonate, a Green Chemical

Glycerol carbonate is one the glycerol derivatives which attracts attention for industrial applications. This review compares strategies for its synthesis, and their analyses lead to the conclusion that (indirect) procedures starting from glycerol- and/or CO2-derivatives are the most attractive. These are described and compared, taking criteria of industrial feasibility into account. As a result, the transesterification of dimethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate with glycerol using uncalcined CaO as catalyst appears to be currently the most suitable industrial process. Finally, potential applications of glycerol carbonate as a multifunctional compound are exemplified.