Direct synthesis of DMC from CH3OH and CO2 over V-doped Cu–Ni/AC catalysts

The V-doped activated carbon supported Cu–Ni bimetal catalysts were prepared and used for the direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from CH3OH and CO2. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, TPR and NH3-TPD. The experimental results demonstrated that V element could significantly improve the catalytic activity and selectivity of the Cu–Ni bimetallic catalysts. Under the optimal catalytic reaction conditions of 110 °C and 1.2 MPa, the highest CH3OH conversion of 7.76% and the DMC selectivity of 89.9% could be achieved when V element content was 3 wt.%.