One-step solvent-free synthesis of cyclic carbonates by oxidative carboxylation of styrenes over a recyclable Ti-containing catalyst

[Display omitted] •A mesoporous titanium-silicate catalyzes oxidative carboxylation of styrenes using CO2.•The reaction is performed under mild solvent-free conditions using one-step protocol.•The selectivity to cyclic carbonates reaches 70% at 92–98.5% substrate conversions.•The volume yield of styrene carbonate as high as 1.1kg/L can be achieved.•The catalyst can be easily recovered and reused with maintenance of the catalytic properties. A mesoporous titanium-silicate prepared by evaporation-induced self-assembly is an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the one-step oxidative carboxylation of styrenes with tert-butyl hydroperoxide and carbon dioxide in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide as cocatalyst under mild solvent-free conditions (50–70°C, 8bar CO2). The selectivity to cyclic carbonates reaches 69–70% at 92–98.5% substrate conversion. The catalyst can be easily recovered by filtration and reused several times without a significant deterioration of the catalytic performance. The volume yield of SC as high as 1.1kg/L could be achieved after seven reuses.