Synthesis of Propylene Carbonate from Carbon Dioxide and 1,2-Propylene Glycol over Zinc Acetate Catalyst

Abstract

The synthesis of propylene carbonate (PC) from 1,2-propylene glycol (PG) and CO2 was investigated. Among a series of acetate salts, zinc acetate showed the highest catalytic activity. Under the suitable reaction conditions (reaction temperature, 433 K; weight percentage of catalyst, 2.5%; reaction time, 2 h; molar ratio of acetonitrile to PG, 1.8:1; and initial pressure of CO2, 3.0 MPa), the conversion of PG, the yield of PC, and the selectivity of PC were 19.2%, 12.3%, and 64.1%, respectively. The reaction mechanism for the synthesis of PC from CO2 and PG over zinc acetate catalyst was elucidated by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC−MS), in situ infrared (IR) analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization.