Using waste crayfish shell derived catalyst to synthesize glycerol carbonate by transesterification reaction between glycerol and dimethyl carbonate

Waste crayfish shell powder was utilized to prepare a series of solid base catalyst for the transesterification of glycerol with dimethyl carbonate to synthesize glycerol carbonate. Thermal decomposition behavior of waste crayfish shell powder was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the different catalysts prepared at different calcinations temperature were characterized using FESEM, XRD, FTIR, BET techniques. It was clearly confirmed that the catalyst generated by the calcination of waste crayfish shell at 800 °C exhibited excellent catalytic activity, 98.7% glycerol conversion and 95.3% glycerol carbonate yield were obtained under mild reaction conditions such as 90 min of reaction time, 1:6 molar ratio of glycerol to dimethyl carbonate, 4 wt% of catalyst loading and 75 °C of reaction temperature.