Synthesis of glyceryl carbonate via microwave irradiation

Abstract

Supported by increasing awareness for environment and sustainability, glyceryl carbonate (Gly-C) has gained much interest over the last 20 years because of its versatile reactivity and as a way to valorise waste glycerol. In this study, synthesis of Gly-C via microwave irradiation was conducted as an alternative method to synthesise the glycerol derivative. Reaction parameters which include the type of carbonating agent, glycerol to carbonating agent mole ratio, reaction temperature as well as the reaction time have been examined. By setting microwave power at the lowest power (100 W), results from this study show that the synthesis of Gly-C under microwave irradiation is best carried out using ethylene carbonate as the carbonating agent with glycerol to ethylene carbonate molar ratio of 3:1 for 10 min at 80°C under atmospheric pressure. Gly-C was successfully obtained with 62% yield and purity of 96%. This study implies the significant use of microwave technique in the synthesis of Gly-C.