Integrated process for production of glycerol carbonate (4-hydroxymethyl-2-oxo-1, 3-dioxolane) and urea

A method of producing glycerol carbonate and/or urea, the method comprising steps as follows:

• (1) reacting carbon dioxide and ammonia to produce a first product stream comprising ammonium carbamate, unreacted ammonia, water and the urea;
• (2) heating the first product stream to decompose the ammonium carbamate to form a first decomposition product stream comprising ammonia and carbon dioxide, and a second product stream comprising urea and water;
• (3) subjecting the second product stream to a concentration process to produce a third product stream comprising concentrated urea;
• (4) subjecting the third product stream comprising the concentrated urea to a granulation process to produce granulated urea;
• (5) reacting at least some of the granulated urea with glycerol to form glycerol carbamate and ammonia;
• (6) decomposing the glycerol carbamate to form the glycerol carbonate and ammonia;
• (7) feeding at least some of the ammonia from step (5) and/or step (6) to step (1) for the reacting to form the first product stream;
• (8) transferring any unreacted granulated urea from step (5) to a urea product stream;
• and
• (9) flowing the glycerol carbonate from step (6) in a glycerol carbonate product stream;
• wherein the steps (5) and (6) comprise contacting the urea with the glycerol over a catalyst under reaction conditions sufficient to form the glycerol carbonate;
• and
• wherein the reaction conditions in step (5) comprise a reaction temperature in a range of 90° C. to 220° C. and a reaction pressure in a range of 2.0×10−3 to 2.0×10−1 MPa;
• and wherein the method is an integrated method for the production of glycerol carbonate and/or urea;
• wherein the catalyst comprises a metal as a catalytically active species;
• and
• wherein the metal is a single member selected from the group consisting of Zn++, Mg++, Mn++, Fe++, Ni++, Cd++, Ca++ and Li+, or is a combination of any two or more of Zn++, Mg++, Mn++, Fe++, Ni++, Cd++, Ca++ and Li+.