Utilization of Emission Carbon Dioxide Gas into High Economic Value Chemicals: Diethyl Carbonate

Utilizing fossil fuel is always has a deficiency in the environmental aspect. The processing of fossil fuel produce high carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. It is required an effort to utilize CO₂ emissions into feed of a high-economic value product of such as diethyl carbonate (DEC). The objective of this study was to develop the process of DEC synthesis from CO₂ using ethanol and ethylene oxide as reactant and potassium iodide - based catalyst. The catalyst used in the experiment were binary catalyst potassium iodide (KI) - cerium oxide (CeO₂) and KI - sodium ethoxide (EtoNa). The experiment conducted in cylindrical reactor equipped with stirrer and heating jacket. Reactant and catalyst were added into reactor and setting operation condition at initial pressure of 35 bar and temperature of 170 °C within 3 hours. The ratio of ethylene oxide to ethanol was investigated as well. Subsequently, the products of this synthesis were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to determine the reaction products and DEC yield. From the experiment, DEC was successfully obtained and the highest DEC yield was found to be 7.1 % by using KI-EtoNa as catalyst at mole ratio of ethylene oxide to ethanol of 1:15 within 3 hours of reaction time.