Formic acid is produced on a scale of one million tons per year from fossil fuel derived feedstocks for use as a preservative, antibacterial agent, and tanning agent.
Due to the environmental issues associated with using fossil fuel-based feedstocks, a more sustainable synthesis of formic acid would use renewable feedstocks, such as CO2 and H2. However, this requires more active, stable, and selective catalysts preferably based on inexpensive and abundant first-row transition metals.
This project team recently reported a state-of-the-art manganese catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to formic acid, which gives a record 800,000 turnovers, indicating significant catalyst stability and longevity. However, this catalyst requires a Lewis acid co-catalyst, uses an expensive base, and operates in organic solvent.
Here, using their mechanistic understanding, the team will develop a system that operates without a co-catalyst, in water, and using a cheap base. The expected outcome is a more practical system for CO2 hydrogenation to formic acid, which may be suitable for commercialization.
