Lanthanum-based perovskite catalysts for the glycerol carbonylation to glycerol carbonate: Effects of oxygen defects and basicity

LaBO 3 ( B = Fe, Co, Ni) perovskite catalysts were prepared by the sol-gel method. The physical properties and active sites were characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, TEM, XPS, EPR, and CO 2 -TPD. The results indicated that catalysts had fine perovskite structure and high crystallinity. The as-synthesized catalysts were used for the glycerol carbonylation with CO 2 to glycerol carbonate (GC). The LaCoO 3 exhibited high conversion and selectivity of 26.3 and 72.4 % at a reaction temperature of 150 °C for 12 h under CO 2 pressure of 3 MPa in the presence of 2-cyanopyridine with DMF as the solvent. It was found that surface oxygen defects favored the glycerol conversion, while the high concentration of total weak and medium basic sites promoted the GC selectivity. The LaCoO 3 also displayed excellent reusability performance, indicating its great potential in industrial applications.