Facile Synthesis of Glycerol Carbonate Using Green Catalysts Derived from Pineapple Peels

• Published in: Topics in catalysis 2023-11, Vol.66 (19-20), p.1619-1630
• Main Authors: Topool, Boossayamas, Charoenchaitrakool, Manop, Sudsakorn, Kandis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Basicity; Catalysis; Catalysts; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Conversion; Glycerol; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Original Paper; Pharmacy; Physical Chemistry; Pineapples; Roasting; Titration; Transesterification
• ISSN: 1022-5528; 1572-9028
• DOI: 10.1007/s11244-023-01800-z

A development of effective, low cost, and easily prepared catalyst has been a challenge to the viability of glycerol carbonate (GC) production via transesterification of glycerol (GLY) with dimethyl carbonate (DMC). This work proposes a facile method to prepare such catalyst from wasted pineapple peels (PP). The catalysts were simply prepared by calcination of dried PP powders in air under atmospheric condition using calcination time of 3 h and calcination temperatures between 300–800 °C. Several techniques were used to study the catalyst properties including, TGA, N 2 physisorption, SEM, XRD, FT-IR, Hammett indicators and acid–base titration method. It was found that the PP calcined at 600 ºC (PP-600), showed the highest basicity and was the most active catalyst. With this catalyst, the highest GLY conversion of 92.85% and GC yield of 90.29% could be achieved under the optimal condition at a reaction temperature of 80 ºC, reaction time of 90 min, DMC:GLY molar ratio of 3:1 and amount of catalyst of 12 wt.%. At this condition, the catalyst could be used repeatedly up to 5 cycles while giving the conversion and yield on the fifth cycle of 64.81 and 61.13%, respectively.