Membrane reactors for the direct conversion of CO2 to dimethyl carbonate

Due to the increasing oil prices the chemical industry searches for alternative feedstock for the production of chemicals. CO2 is considered as an interesting alternative for environmental and economic reasons. However, due to the high thermodynamic stability of CO2 it is rather difficult to convert it into valuable chemicals. For e.g. the direct conversion of CO2 and methanol into dimethyl carbonate (DMC) this could be resolved by using membrane reactors. DMC is a frequently used chemical for the production of poly carbonates, as methylation agent, in the use as solvent for lithium ion batteries and potentially as fuel additive. The combination of a reactor and a membrane allows the instant removal of reaction products (e.g. H2O) from the reaction mixture and as such enhances the conversion of CO2. Since the use of membrane reactors for this application is rather unexplored, the aim of this research is to investigate the potential of membrane reactors for the direct conversion of CO2 into DMC.