With increasing concerns over global warming and the urgent need to reduce CO2 emissions, scientists in China have developed a new simple and efficient strategy for the reduction of CO2.
They demonstrate a carbon cycle which is driven simply by the oxidation and reduction of commonly available metals, such as iron.
The cycle begins with the high-yield reduction of CO2 to formic, via the oxidation of a zero-valent metal under hydrothermal conditions. The metal oxide can then be converted back to the metal using a bio-derived chemical such as glycerin, which is readily available from renewable resources.
The production of formic acid in the cycle is also an added bonus, as this can be used to power fuel cells, which can be applied to small, portable electronics such as cell phones and laptop computers.
This new energy system has many advantages over current methods to reduce CO2 (such as water-splitting) as it has high yields, no waste products, does not require expensive catalysts or harsh reagents and, as the overall cycle is exothermic, it is expected to have minimal energy requirements.
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High-yield reduction of carbon dioxide into formic acid by zero-valent metal/metal oxide redox cycles
Fangming Jin, Ying Gao, Yujia Jin, Yalei Zhang, Jianglin Cao, Zhen Wei and Richard L. Smith Jr
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0EE00661K
With increasing pressure on non-renewable energy and chemical sources due to the Earth’s swelling population and dwindling supplies, research into renewable and environmentally friendly feedstocks is of critical importance. In this Energy and Environmental Science review, the authors Tadesse and Luque set out the current state of affairs in an area of research which sits at the interface of two important areas of science: ionic liquids and biofuels.
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