Process to continuously prepare a cyclic carbonate

A process to continuously prepare a cyclic carbonate product by reacting an epoxide compound with carbon dioxide in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst which catalyst is activated by an activating compound, wherein the process is performed in at least a first, second, third reactor, each reactor comprising a slurry of the heterogeneous catalyst and the cyclic carbonate product as present as a liquid,

• wherein to the first reactor carbon dioxide and the epoxide compound is continuously supplied, liquid cyclic carbonate is discharged as a first product stream and unreacted carbon dioxide and epoxide are discharged as a first gaseous effluent stream while substantially all of the heterogeneous catalyst remains in the first reactor and wherein the heterogeneous catalyst deactivates in time,
• wherein to the second reactor the first gaseous effluent is continuously supplied, liquid cyclic carbonate is discharged as a second product stream and unreacted carbon dioxide and epoxide is discharged as a second gaseous effluent stream while substantially all of the heterogeneous catalyst remains in the second reactor,
• wherein to the third reactor the activating compound is added to activate the heterogeneous catalyst thereby obtaining a reactor comprising activated heterogeneous catalyst and wherein in a next step of the process the third reactor becomes the second reactor, the second reactor becomes the first reactor and the first reactor becomes the third reactor such to activate the deactivated catalyst present in said reactor.