Research Progress in Catalysts for Direct Carbonylation of Glycerol with CO2 to Glycerol Carbonate

• • DBU, a homogeneous organic base, achieves high catalytic activity in glycerol carbonylation with CO2, with reported glycerol conversions exceeding 30% under optimized conditions, significantly improving upon thermodynamic equilibrium limitations. • • Zn(QTf)2, a metal triflate catalyst, demonstrates superior performance with glycerol conversion up to 38.2% and glycerol carbonate selectivity above 90% at 170°C and 5 MPa CO2, showcasing the potential of metal-organic complexes. • • ZnO-CeO2 composite oxides exhibit synergistic effects, achieving glycerol conversion of 22.5% and glycerol carbonate yield of 18.3% at 150°C and 7 MPa, attributed to balanced acidic-basic sites and oxygen vacancies. • • The use of coupling agents such as 2-cyanopyridine significantly enhances glycerol conversion, with reported increases from 12% to 35% under identical reaction conditions, by shifting the thermodynamic equilibrium via hydration of the nitrile group.