Fabrication of hierarchically porous MgO with high surface area and adjustable alkalinity for efficient transesterification synthesis of ethyl methyl carbonate

•The synthesized MgO displayed high efficiency and stability in the transesterification synthesis of EMC.•The synthesized MgO has a large surface area and adjustable alkalinity.•The developed pyrolysis strategy is a facile and scalable synthesis technique.•The obtained MgO can be used in different fields and has good prospects.•A possible mechanism of controlling base strength was proposed from morphological factors. Hierarchically porous MgO catalysts with high surface area and adjustable alkalinity were prepared with a carbon deposit template in-situ generated via pyrolysis of organic compounds (OCs) in an inert atmosphere. The effects of the preparation parameters, such as calcination temperature, atmosphere, types and dosage of OCs, etc., on the physicochemical properties of synthesized MgO were investigated. The characterization results suggested that the base strength varied with preparation conditions due to the different microstructure caused by various parameters and the influence mechanism of microstructure on the base strength of synthesized MgO was speculated and discussed. A yield of ethyl methyl carbonate as high as 49.5% was achieved for the best sample synthesized in this work at 103 °C in only 20 min. High specific surface area (∼206 m2·g−1), large pore volume (0.48 cm3·g−1) and suitable base strength enable the obtained MgO an eligible candidate for transesterification reaction. Additionally, the new strategy for controlling the base strength of as-prepared MgO also suggested good prospects in other practical applications. The hierarchically porous MgO catalyst with high surface area and controlling base strength distribution was prepared by using in situ deposited carbon as the template for efficient transesterification synthesis of ethyl methyl carbonate. [Display omitted]