Carbon2Polymer: A CO2-based Route to Polyurethanes via Oxidative Carbonylation of TDA with Methyl Formate

Abstract

The Carbon2Polymer project involves a multistep reaction sequence for the non-phosgene synthesis of the high-value polymer precursor toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) starting from carbon dioxide. The present study of the oxidative carbonylation revealed that for the intermediate toluene-2,4-dicarbamate (TDC) the productivity is highest with Pd@ZrO2, followed by Pd@CeO2. As one of the side products which are formed in parallel and consecutive reactions the methylene-bridged dimer “TDCCH2TDC” (5) has a promising potential for industrial application.