Valorization of eggshell waste to metal-doped CaO catalysts for producing dimethyl carbonate by transesterification of propylene carbonate with methanol

Abstract

To align with a circular economy, this study aimed to extend the lifecycle of eggshell waste by valorizing it into a catalyst for producing the green chemical dimethyl carbonate (DMC) through the transesterification of propylene carbonate (PC) with methanol. CaO derived from eggshells was modified by doping with 10 mol% of aliovalent metal cations, including Na+, Mg2+, and Ce3+, via a calcination-hydration-dehydration process. The catalyst activity was tested under atmospheric air at 40–70 °C for 1–3 h. Metal-doped CaO possessed better activity than pure CaO, and the performance was ranked in order as CaO < Na–CaO < Ce–CaO < Mg–CaO. At the optimized reaction conditions of 50 °C for 2 h, the Mg–CaO catalyst exhibited the best performance, with 77% PC conversion, 62% DMC selectivity, and 37% DMC yield. This improvement correlated with the high surface-active area and optimum basicity induced by incorporating Mg2+ into the CaO structure and forming MgO–CaO mixed oxide phases. This study demonstrated a greener process for producing DMC under mild conditions using metal-doped CaO catalysts derived from eggshell waste.