Generation of solid base catalyst from waste slag for the efficient synthesis of diethyl carbonate from ethyl carbamate and ethanol

•Slag-based catalysts were tested in DEC synthesis from EC and ethanol.•The calcination temperature greatly influenced the catalytic performance.•The sustainable solid base catalyst could be reused through facile calcinations.•The appropriate strong basicity was more favorable for DEC synthesis.

The solid base derived from abundant waste slag was prepared by co-precipitation method, and tested in the diethyl carbonate synthesis via ethanolysis of ethyl carbamate. Compared to the previous reports, much higher catalytic activity and turnover frequency (TOF) of 2926 mgDEC/gcat · h− 1 could be achieved. Accordingly, the correlation between the catalyst basic properties and the catalytic performance revealed that the appropriate strong basic sites facilitated the formation of DEC. Moreover, the catalyst could be readily recycled and reused for several times through facile calcination.

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