Synthesis of glycerol carbonate from ethylene carbonate and glycerol using immobilized ionic liquid catalysts

In this study, ionic liquids immobilized on mesoporous MCM41 were prepared and their catalytic performance was tested in the synthesis of glycerol carbonate from transesterification of ethylene carbonate with glycerol. The ionic liquids were generated on chloropropyl functionalized MCM41 (CP-MCM41) via the immobilization of trialkylamines. The quaternary salt ionic liquid immobilized on MCM41 (RNX-MCM41) was characterized using a number of physical–chemical measurements including XRD, BET, ¹³C and ²⁹Si MAS-NMR. Their catalytic performances were tested in a batch reactor. The influence of the structure of the quaternary ammonium salt and reaction parameters like temperature and reaction time was investigated. It was found that RNX-MCM41 with a longer alkyl chain length showed much better catalytic activity. High temperature and longer reaction time were favorable for the reactivity of RNX-MCM41. The catalyst can be reused for the reaction up to three consecutive runs without any considerable loss of its initial activity.