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Moisture resistant K-loaded ZIF-8 catalyst for glycerol carbonate production

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Published/Copyright: July 18, 2025
Pure and Applied Chemistry
From the journal Pure and Applied Chemistry Volume 97 Issue 12

Abstract

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are a new subclass of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with a structure isomorphic to that of aluminosilicate zeolites. The zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) offered greater surface area and better hydrophobic properties, making it suitable for catalysis. The present study describes that ZIF-8 was synthesized in an aqueous solution by mixing 2-methylimidazole with Zn nitrate hexahydrate in deionized water. To enhance the basicity and performance of the ZIF-8 catalyst, a series of K-loaded ZIF-8 catalysts (K/ZIF-8) were prepared with varying amounts (5–10 wt%) of KOH content. Powder XRD, FTIR, XPS, HRTEM, TPD, and BET surface area measurement techniques have been used for structural and morphological characterization of the catalyst. The prepared K/ZIF-8 catalyst is employed as a heterogeneous catalyst to carry out glycerol (GL) valorization with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) to form glycerol carbonate (GLC). Various reaction parameters that affect the GLC yield, including DMC/GL molar ratio, KOH loading, catalyst amount, and temperature, have been studied during the reaction. Under the optimized reaction conditions of 10-K/ZIF-8 catalyst (5 wt% concerning GL), a DMC/GL M ratio of 3:1 in 0.5 h afforded up to 95 % GLC as an exclusive product. Even though the K metal ion is hygroscopic, the prepared catalyst demonstrated better water resistance (up to 4 wt% concerning GL) owing to organic group functionality. Moreover, the solid catalyst could be recycled up to three times without significantly decreasing activity.

Keywords: Catalysis; glycerol carbonate; heterogeneous catalysis
Corresponding author: Amjad Ali, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (TIET), Patiala, Punjab, 147004, India; and Affiliated Faculty- TIET- Virginia Tech, Centre of Excellence in Emerging Materials (CEEMS), Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (TIET), Patiala, Punjab, 147004, India, e-mail:

Funding source: Science and Engineering Research Board

Award Identifier / Grant number: EMR/2014/000090)

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank TIET-VT, the Center of Excellence in Emerging Materials (CEEMS), Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (TIET), Patiala, India, as well as Department of Physical and Material Sciences (DPMS) at TIET for their support in XRD analysis. We also extend our gratitude to the DST-FIST, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala, for facilitating the HRMS study.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. A.K. and A.T. carried out the experiment. A.T. wrote the manuscript with support from A.A.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: There are no conflicts to declare.

  6. Research funding: The study was supported by TIET-VT, CEEMS via the project code, 8069.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2025-04-19
Accepted: 2025-06-24
Published Online: 2025-07-18
Published in Print: 2025-12-17

© 2025 IUPAC & De Gruyter

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https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2025-0485
Keywords for this article
Catalysis; glycerol carbonate; heterogeneous catalysis

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Special Issue Articles
  3. Magnesium oxide nanoparticles impregnated pyrolyzed coconut coir as an antifungal agent
  4. Comparative analysis of physicochemical, nutritional, functional, and sensory properties of rice bran oil from white (Bg 300) and brown rice (At 362)
  5. Electrochemical synthesis of porous polyaniline for supercapacitor application
  6. Modelling an amorphous biochar structure using classical molecular dynamics simulations
  7. Photocatalytic activity of C, N and S doped SnO2: effective band gap engineering to increase the quantum efficiency and exploration of the change in the position of Fermi energy with dopant concentration and its influence on photoreactivity
  8. Temporal variation of heavy metals in groundwater of North Central Province of Sri Lanka
  9. Regular Articles
  10. Synthesis and characterization of thermally stable quinoxaline-based polyamides
  11. Density-based solvent separation method for recycling mixed low-value plastic waste
  12. Synthesis, characterization and cytotoxic behavior against HeLa of iridium (III) complexes, half sandwich type
  13. Assess the sensitivity of gas and liquid chromatography for detecting trace substances in the environment
  14. Novel hybrid indazole-based 2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione derivatives: design, synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, SAR, molecular docking, pharmacokinetics and toxicological activities
  15. Metal ions complexes with an azo compound derived from 2-amino-5-nitrothiazole: spectrophotometric determination and antioxidant activity in spiked samples
  16. Synthesis of N-formyl dihydropyrazoles as urease inhibitors
  17. Moisture resistant K-loaded ZIF-8 catalyst for glycerol carbonate production
  18. Synthesis, properties and application prospects in biomedical areas of unsaturated polyester resin modified with iron(II) clathrochelate
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