Revolutionizing Glycerol Carbonate Synthesis Using Industrial Waste Catalysts in Microwave-Assisted Transesterification

Glycerol Carbonate (GC) is a green chemical that could replace fuel in lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and the energy industry. This study focuses on transesterifying glycerol and dimethyl carbonate using microwave power and a frequency range of 2.45 GHz. The experiment uses Gypsum Board Waste (GBW) and Oil Palm Fuel Ash (OPFA), two industrial waste catalysts, to produce GC, a sustainable energy source, and exploreits potential in EVs and the energy industry. XRD and EDX analysis revealed that the GBW catalyst outperformed the OPFA catalyst in terms of GC yield and cost,achieving a 69.81% GC yield for glycerol carbonate synthesis, with a production cost of 3.05 baht per gram, making it the better choice for glycerol carbonate synthesis.