Activated red mud-supported Zn/Al oxide catalysts for catalytic conversion of glycerol to glycerol carbonate: FTIR analysis

• ARM-supported Zn/Al mixed oxide catalyst are prepared by the hot wet impregnation
• The presence of ARM improves the activity for synthesis of glycerol carbonate (GC)
• The reaction paths are investigated based on product distribution by FT-IR analysis
• The balance of active sites over ARM and ZnO/ZnAl2O4 influences on GC yields

Catalytic conversion to glycerol carbonate (GC) from glycerol and urea was investigated with Zn/Al oxide catalysts supported by activated red mud (ARM), a waste material. Compared to an unsupported catalyst, ARM-supported Zn/Al oxide catalysts exhibited higher GC yields. ARM-supported Zn/Al oxide catalysts showed a volcano curve for the GC yield as a function of the Zn/Al loading. FTIR analysis revealed the ARM-supported Zn/Al oxide catalysts to be more selective, resulting in higher GC yield. The balance of active sites from ARM and Zn/Al oxide was related to rates of each reaction step in GC synthesis, which eventually influenced on the selectivity and yield of GC.

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