Intensified Continuous Flow Process for the Scalable Production of Bio-Based Glycerol Carbonate

A subtle combination of fundamental and applied organic chemistry toward process intensification is demonstrated for the large-scale production of bio-based glycerol carbonate under flow conditions. The direct carbonation of bio-based glycidol with CO₂ is successfully carried out under intensified flow conditions, with Barton's base as a potent homogeneous organocatalyst. Process metrics for the CO₂ coupling step (for the upstream production, output: 3.6 kg day^-1 , Space Time Yield (STY): 2.7 kg h^-1 L^-1 , Environmental factor (E-factor): 4.7) outclass previous reports. High conversion and selectivity are achieved in less than 30 s of residence time at pilot scale with a stoichiometric amount of CO₂ . Supporting DFT computations reveal the unique features of the mechanism in presence of Brønsted bases.