BACKGROUND: The use of CO2 as a raw material to synthesize cyclic carbonates has attracted much attention in recent years. Ionic liquids (ILs) due to their unique properties are often used as effective catalysts for the reaction between CO2 and epoxide to afford cyclic carbonates. This report describes an efficient method for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates in the presence of IL with HSO4- anion as a catalyst which could be easily separated and reused. RESULTS: The synthesis of cyclic carbonates from CO2 and epoxides using the two-component catalytic system consisting of the ionic liquid based on the imidazolium cation and the hydrogensulphate anion and an aqueous solution of zinc iodide is described. The cyclic carbonates were obtained with high yields (69-99%) and selectivities (>99%) under the optimized conditions: 120 degrees C, 2 MPa of CO2, without utilization of any organic solvents. CONCLUSION: The new and effective catalytic system allows one to obtain cyclic carbonates in high yields and can be reused several times without significant loss of activity. Therefore, the proposed method seems to be useful for practical applications. (C) 2016 Society of Chemical Industry