Synthesis of Ethylene Carbonate from Urea and Ethylene Glycol over La(NO3)3 Catalyst

Synthesis of ethylene carbonate (EC) from urea and ethylene glycol was investigated in a batch reactor using La(NO3)3 as catalyst. The reaction was performed under reduced pressure to remove the byproduct ammonia. The effect of various operation conditions such as reaction temperature, reaction time and reaction pressure on the EC yield was explored. It was found that the reaction pressure is a key parameter for the formation of EC. At atmospheric pressure, the reaction cannot happen. As the reaction pressure decreases, the EC yield increases significantly. Under the optimum operation conditions, which are reaction pressure 15 KPa, reaction temperature 413 K, reaction time 3 h, and catalyst concentration 10 wt.%, the EC yield can reach to 93%.