(583dy) Catalytic Process for Conversion of CO2 Based On Functional Ionic Liquids

The catalytic processes for conversion of CO₂ is important for sustainable development. With CO₂ as a raw material,  cyclic carbonates and its derivative ethylene glycol(EG) as bulk chemicals are widely used to produce commercial and industrial products. On green chemical principles, this process is very attractive as CO₂ can be incorporated into products without side products. In the past years, lots of catalysts have been developed for this purpose. As novel green catalysts, ionic liquids (ILs) has received increasing attention due to their widely tunable properties. Herein, a series of functionalized ILs (HFILs) were designed and synthesized. Immobilized ionic liquids catalysts were prepared. The effects of various parameters, such as functional groups of catalysts, water, reaction temperature, pressure, reaction time, and the amount of catalyst used, on the reaction were investigated systematically. The catalytic process of synthesis of EG based on ILs, which consisted of a catalytic reaction section and a purification section, was introduced. The catalytic reaction section, which was divided into the carbonation section and alcoholysis section, was described in detail. It was demonstrated that the hydrogen bonding strength of functional group had a key effect on the reaction. Immobilized ionic liquids catalysts showed excellent activity and selectivity for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates via the cycloaddition of epoxides with CO₂. The parameters, especially water had a significant effect on the activity of catalysts. A pilot plant operation proved the feasibility of the process of synthesis of EG including performance of the catalyst, impurity behaviors, product quality and operability. Systems integration was made to reduce energy consumption, raw materials and cost. The new process which shows more economical is scheduled for commercialization.