Synthesis of dimethyl carbonate via urea and methanol is an important extension of the coal chemical industry chain,which can increase the added value of the coal chemical products. In this paper,propylene glycol was used as a circulating agent to intensify this reaction process. First,the two reactions,urea reacting with propylene glycol to propylene carbonate catalyzed by Zn-Al oxide and transesterification of propylene carbonate with methanol to dimethyl carbonate over Ca-Al oxide,were investigated in a reactive distillation column. The highest yields of propylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate were 82.4% and 98.1%,respectively. Based on these experimental results,the catalytic distillation process of urea alcoholysis to dimethyl carbonate intensified by a circulating agent propylene glycol was realized,and the influence of reaction conditions was studied. Under the reaction conditions of a feed molar ratio of urea to methanol of 17,and a liquid hourly space velocity of the raw mixture of 0.5 h-1,the dimethyl carbonate yield reaches the highest of 58.2%.