Research Projects

Propylene carbonate (PC) is a high-value chemical used as a solvent in various industries, including paints, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. It has a high boiling point (242°C) and flash point (132°C), making it suitable for reactions with a wide temperature range. PC's high dielectric constant (64%) makes it an electrolyte component in Li-ion batteries. Recently, the carbonation of propylene epoxide (PO) with CO₂ has been considered a sustainable route for PC synthesis, offering an alternative to toxic COCl₂ as a carbonyl source with 1,2-propanediol. The CO₂-mediated pathway requires an electrophilic center to activate PO and a nucleophilic center to activate CO₂. Various types of homogeneous catalysts have been used with a co-catalyst, but they face issues of purification, separation, and reusability. Grafting these on solid supports can avoid these issues without compromising their activity. Metal oxide-based catalysts are easy to make and scalable, with good electrophilic metal centers like Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, and La. Halide ions can be introduced in the metal oxide, acting as nucleophiles and replacing organic co-catalysts. Oxophilic metals supported on amine-functionalized silica/zeolite can also be explored, with grafted amine groups acting as nucleophilic sites. The project aims to customize reactor configuration, using a fixed-bed continuous flow reactor to scale up the process. Faster screening will be performed by testing prepared catalysts in a batch reactor before using them in continuous mode. Mechanistic investigation will be conducted to obtain the best-suited catalyst for PC production.

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