Sustainable CO2 Fixation into Cyclic Carbonates via NiO–CuO–ZnO Heterogenous Catalyst at Ambient Temperature

A cost-effective NiO–CuO–ZnO (NCZ-6) trimetallic catalyst enables solvent-free conversion of CO₂ and epichlorohydrin into chloropropene carbonate at room temperature with 80% yield. This green, energy-efficient method avoids high pressure, heat, and precious metals, supporting circular carbon economy and sustainable chemical synthesis aligned with green chemistry principles.

Abstract

The utilization of CO₂ as a precursor for products with added value, like cyclic carbonates, has attracted a lot of interest in the context of sustainable development. Cyclic carbonates are used as electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries, as polar aprotic solvents in organic synthesis, and as precursors for different intermediates and polymer synthesis. Traditional catalytic conversion of CO₂ to cyclic carbonates (yield 60%–80%) often requires high pressure (>10 bar), high temperatures (80–150 °C), and expensive precious metal catalysts (e.g., Ru and Pd), leading to unwanted oligomer side products. In this study, we report a cost-effective, trimetallic oxide catalyst, NiO–CuO–ZnO (NCZ-6), for synthesizing chloropropene carbonate at room temperature. An easy and energy-efficient grinding process was used to synthesize the NCZ-6 catalyst, which was then characterized using XPS, FTIR, XRD, TGA, FE–SEM, and HR-TEM methods. While NH₃-TPD and CO₂-TPD assessed its acidity and basicity, BET was used to analyze its surface area and pore size distribution. With an 80% isolated yield value, the NCZ-6 catalyst could convert epichlorohydrin and CO₂ into chloropropene carbonate without using solvents in ambient conditions. This strategy supports a circular carbon economy and is in line with the principles of green chemistry by providing a sustainable and effective substitute. Furthermore, scalability and ecological friendliness are improved by the room temperature process.

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