Calcium Glycerolate Catalyst Derived from Eggshell Waste for Cyclopentadecanolide Synthesis

Area of Science:

• Green Chemistry
• Catalysis
• Organic Synthesis

Background:

• Macrolide musk synthesis, particularly cyclopentadecanolide, faces high production costs.
• Developing sustainable and economical catalytic processes is crucial for commercial viability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of calcined eggshell waste as a low-cost catalyst for cyclopentadecanolide synthesis.
• To optimize the reactive distillation process using glycerol as an entrainer.

Main Methods:

• Calcination of eggshell waste at 600°C to produce a catalyst.
• Characterization of the catalyst using XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, and XPS.
• Reactive distillation synthesis of cyclopentadecanolide with glycerol entrainer.

Main Results:

• The primary catalytic component identified was calcium glycerolate (CaG).
• CaG exhibited suitable basicity (7.2 < H_≤ 15.0) and was soluble in glycerol, enabling catalyst reuse.
• Optimized conditions yielded >95.0% cyclopentadecanolide with 49.8% yield at 190°C using 12 wt% catalyst over 7 hours.

Conclusions:

• Calcined eggshell waste is an effective, eco-friendly, and affordable catalyst for macrolide musk production.
• This method presents a sustainable alternative to conventional, more expensive synthesis routes.
• The study highlights the potential of utilizing waste materials in industrial chemical synthesis.