Organic compound modification of CeO2 and 2-cyanopyridine hybrid catalyst in carbonate synthesis from CO2 and alcohols

Direct Esterification of Alkylcarbamic Acids with Alcohols over CeO2 Catalyst

Alkylcarbamic acids, which are easily produced via chemical absorption of CO2 into amines, have a great potential to be substrates for producing value-added chemicals. In this research, the esterification of various alkylcarbamic acids with alcohols into alkyl N-alkylcarbamates was demonstrated by using a heterogeneous catalyst as well as the corresponding amine additives. In the model reaction, the esterification of benzylcarbamic acid (BZA-CA) and methanol (MeOH), the target product of methyl N-benzylcarbamate was obtained in 64 % CO2 -based yield at 413 K in 12 h over a CeO2 catalyst, which also exhibited good reusability. In this catalytic system, the corresponding amine additive (i. e., benzylamine for BZA-CA) had the important role in the improvement of CO2 -moiety-based balance, allowing the precise kinetic study, in contrast to the cases without such additive. The detailed kinetic study on the target catalytic system and control systems suggested that BZA-CA underwent the esterification by MeOH directly. The current catalytic system using the combination of CeO2 catalyst and corresponding amine additive was also demonstrated to be applicable to the synthesis of alkyl N-alkylcarbamates from alkylcarbamic acids and alcohols with short, linear alkyl chains (≤C3 ).

Comparative Study between 2-Furonitrile and 2-Cyanopyridine as Dehydrants in Direct Synthesis of Dialkyl Carbonates from CO2 and Alcohols over Cerium Oxide Catalyst

The shift of equilibrium by removing water with nitrile dehydrants is crucial for CeO2 -catalyzed synthesis of dialkyl carbonates from CO2 and alcohols. Two nitriles - 2-cyanopyridine and 2-furonitrile - were previously found as effective dehydrants, yet their detailed comparison as well as exploration of potential of 2-furonitrile remain insufficient. Herein, the performance of 2-cyanopyridine and 2-furonitrile was compared in the synthesis of various dialkyl carbonates. 2-furonitrile was found to be superior to 2-cyanopyridine in the synthesis of dialkyl carbonates from CO2 and bulky or long-chain (≥C3) alcohols. Namely, the yield of diisopropyl carbonate (up to 50 %) achieved using CeO2 and 2-furonitrile is comparable to or even higher than previously reported ones. Meanwhile, 2-cyanopyridine acted as a better dehydrant than 2-furonitrile in the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate. The adsorption experiments and density functional theory calculations have indicated that the better performance of 2-furonitrile compared to 2-cyanopyridine in the synthesis of dialkyl carbonates from bulky or long-chain alcohols is due to the weaker interaction of 2-furonitrile with the CeO2 surface. Such weak interaction of 2-furonitrile offers a larger reaction field on the catalyst surface for both CO2 and alcohols.

Sustainable Synthesis of Dimethyl- and Diethyl Carbonate from CO2 in Batch and Continuous Flow-Lessons from Thermodynamics and the Importance of Catalyst Stability

Equilibrium conversions for the direct condensation of MeOH and EtOH with CO₂ to give dimethyl- and diethyl carbonate, respectively, have been calculated over a range of experimentally relevant conditions. The validity of these calculations has been verified in both batch and continuous flow experiments over a heterogeneous CeO₂ catalyst. Operating under optimized conditions of 140 °C and 200 bar CO₂, record productivities of 235 mmol/L·h DMC and 241 mmol/L·h DEC have been achieved using neat alcohol dissolved in a continuous flow of supercritical CO₂. Using our thermodynamic model, we show that to achieve maximum product yield, both dialkyl carbonates and water should be continuously removed from the reactor instead of the conventionally used strategy of removing water alone, which is much less efficient. Catalyst stability rather than activity emerges as the prime limiting factor and should thus become the focus of future catalyst development.