Synthesis of propylene carbonate from urea and 1,2-propylene glycol over ZnO/NaY catalyst

摘要

Propylene carbonate (PC) was produced from 1,2-propylene glycol (1,2-PG) and urea in a continuous-flow fixed bed reactor over heterogeneous ZnO catalyst supported on NaY. Among different ZnO loadings of ZnO/NaY catalysts, 5 wt% ZnO loadings of ZnO/NaY showed the highest activity. Characterization and reaction results indicated that the catalysts with a balanced strength of acid and base sites performed well for the synthesis of propylene carbonate from urea and 1,2-PG.