Synthesis of dimethyl carbonate for enhancement of gasoline performance

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the preparation and application of a green chemical (i.e., dimethyl carbonate (DMC)) as an anti-knocking agent for gasoline. Another objective was to study the usage of wastes of eggs as a heterogeneous catalyst in the process. Results of Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method showed that both the surface area and pore volume of calcined eggshell and pure CaO were of the same order. Results showed that calcined eggshell and pure CaO have almost the same X-ray diffraction images confirming the suitability of eggshell wastes as a heterogeneous catalyst for the preparation of DMC. SEM analysis revealed that the morphology of the CaO nano-particles are spherical shape for the Nanoparticles (NPs) and CaO was determined to be ∼63 nm in size. FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) spectra of reaction mixture proved the presence of dimethyl carbamate in the resulting sample. Experimental results indicated that optimum operating parameters for an 80.4% yield of DMC were 9:1 ratio of methanol-to propylene carbonate, 0.8 wt% catalyst, and 2 h of operating time. The blending of DMC with pool gasoline showed a noticeable increase in the octane number compared with other conventional toxic additives. Keywords: Green chemicals, Eggshell wastes, Pool gasoline, Selective additive, Anti-knocking characteristic