Microwave-Assisted Transesterification of Enriched Crude Glycerol to Glycerol Carbonate: Optimization, Simulation, and Techno-Economic Evaluation.

ABSTRACT: This research presents a novel approach to create glycerol carbonate (GC) from refined crude glycerol through microwave-assisted transesterification. It integrates experimental enhancement with techno-economic and ecological assessments. The refining procedure raised the glycerol content from 40.56 wt % to 98.83 wt %, ensuring a high-quality input. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to aid optimization of the reaction conditions. The best conditions were a 6.5 wt % catalyst concentration, 2.74:1 dimethyl carbonate:glycerol molar ratio, a reaction temperature of 78.36 °C, and a reaction duration of 36.5 min, which gave a 73.65% yield of GC. Experimental data matched the model estimates under these settings, validating the RSM dependability. The activation energy was calculated as 5

SUBMITTER: Saetiao P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12489851 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature