Influence of reactor design on cyclic carbonate synthesis catalysed by a bimetallic aluminium(salen) complex

•Aluminium(salen) catalysed cyclic carbonate synthesis.•Influence of reactor design.•Study of CO2 solubility in epoxide.•Study of CO2 solubility in glycidol/glycerol carbonate mixtures.

The influence of volume to surface area ratio on the rate of synthesis of cyclic carbonates from five epoxides and CO2 catalysed by a bimetallic aluminium(salen) complex and tetrabutylammonium bromide in stirred batch reactors has been investigated. The results suggest that the rate of reaction is determined by the rate of CO2 mass transfer from the gas phase into the reaction mixture rather than by the intrinsic kinetics of cyclic carbonate synthesis at liquid length scales of greater than 4 mm. The solubility of CO2 in the reaction mixtures was determined and shown to vary depending on the nature of the epoxide.

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