Catalytic conversion of CO2 to value-added products using MOF-199

With the increase in carbon dioxide emissions into the environment, there is an increased need to capture carbon dioxide (CO2). One method of removal of CO2 that has been receiving more attention is its conversion to useful chemicals. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising candidates in catalysis because of their remarkable properties such as great surface area, high stability, active sites, porosity, tunability and affinity for CO2. In this study metal organic framework i.e., MOF-199, developed by solvothermal and evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) techniques, was used to catalyze the reaction between CO2 and epoxides such as propylene oxide (EP1), styrene oxide (EP2), epichlorohydrin (EP3), and 1,2-epoxybutane (EP4). The corresponding carbonates are obtained by using tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) as a co-catalyst. The synthesized MOF-199 was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. More than 65% conversion of epoxides (EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4) to their corresponding carbonates were obtained under mild reaction conditions (100°C and 70 psi) over the synthesized MOF-199 catalysts (1S, 2E, 3E, and 4E), and co-catalyst (TBAB). The percentage yields of cyclic carbonates were determined by using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The synthesized MOF catalysts demonstrated the high catalytic activity for the chemical fixation of CO2 to cyclic carbonates at mild reaction conditions.