Synthesis of Dimethyl Carbonate via Transesterification of Ethylene Carbonate and Methanol using Recyclable Li/NaY Zeolite

Abstract

AbstractIn this work, the novel solid base Li/NaY was prepared via the solid state reaction between NaY zeolite and Li2CO3 at high temperature. When applied to the dimethyl carbonate (DMC) preparation through transesterification of ethylene carbonate (EC) and methanol, up to 89% yield of DMC with 99% selectivity can be accessed. The characterization results reveal the as‐synthesized Li/NaY possesses higher basicity than NaY. Furthermore, the Lewis acidity of the Li/NaY material is also enhanced due to the incorporation of lithium. Therefore, the Li/NaY can act as a dual functional catalyst in the transesterification reaction, thus leading to high efficiency. Notably, this catalyst can be easily recovered and reused for at least six times without obvious activity loss. This work provides a green synthetic route to DMC production and also sheds light on the development of solid basic catalysts.