Zirconium Catalyst Grafted on Ceria‐Coated Silica for Transformation of Carbon Dioxide to Diethyl Carbonate

A heterogeneous zirconium catalyst was grafted on a ceria‐coated silica support, denoted as Zr(OEt)x/CeO2/SiO2. It exhibited higher catalytic activity compared to its homogeneous counterpart, Zr(OEt)4, in the conversion of carbon dioxide to diethyl carbonate using tetraethyl orthosilicate as a regenerable agent in the absence of any dehydrating agents under non‐protic conditions. We found that the ceria‐coated silica (CeO2/SiO2) support not only improved the catalytic activity of Zr(OEt)4 but also inhibited catalyst deactivation during catalyst recycling tests. Furthermore, we analyzed the surface of the Zr(OEt)x/CeO2/SiO2 catalysts by FE‐SEM and EDX. The grafting of Zr(OEt)4 onto ceria‐coated silica not only enhanced the catalytic activity for the conversion of carbon dioxide to diethyl carbonate but also improved reusability. The heterogeneous Zr(OEt)x/CeO2/SiO2 catalyst demonstrated superior catalytic activity, maintaining its effectiveness even after being recycled 10 times, in comparison to the homogeneous Zr(OEt)4 catalyst. Furthermore, we investigated the surface of the catalysts and conducted kinetic studies to determine the reaction order based on the concentration of CO2.