A review on transesterification of propylene carbonate and methanol for dimethyl carbonate synthesis

Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is widely applied in various fields according to its outstanding physico-chemical properties, especially as a solvent in electrolyte of lithium-ion batteries. More than 90% DMC in China is industrially produced from the propylene carbonate (PC) and methanol (MeOH) route because it is an environmentally friendly and highly efficient process. This review summarizes different DMC production technologies, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, catalytic mechanisms, reaction kinetics and engineering, with particular focus on the relationship between catalyst preparation and catalytic performances. The advantages and disadvantages of various catalysts are categorically compared. Homogeneous catalysts are highly efficient but prone to deactivate and are difficult to separate. Heterogeneous catalysts are easy to separate and have the promising future in industrial application, but their low catalytic efficiency is still the critical bottleneck. From process aspect, the catalytic distillation technology would be promising to overcome the efficiency problem of solid catalysts.