In Germany, researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), Ruhr University Bochum and Evonik Oxeno have developed a novel catalyst system that enables the use of the climate gas carbon dioxide (CO2) as a raw material for the chemical industry. This breakthrough allows for the more sustainable production of key products such as fragrances and building blocks for plastics.
Carbonylation is a central process in chemical manufacturing, in which olefins – a group of hydrocarbons – are converted into esters or acids using carbon monoxide. These substances are essential components of many everyday products. The process yields both basic chemicals – such as methyl methacrylate, the precursor for acrylic glass – and specialty chemicals like the fragrance valeric acid methyl ester.
The newly developed bimetallic catalyst system replaces toxic carbon monoxide with climate-friendly carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. In the presence of the transition metals iridium and palladium, along with a proven industrial phosphine ligand, olefins are directly converted into esters. The system shows high selectivity for linear products, which are particularly valued in industrial applications.
This opens up a new perspective: producing industrially relevant chemicals directly from climate gas CO2 and green hydrogen in a resource-efficient way. The results have been published in the renowned journal Journal of the American Chemical Society: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.5c09325
Tags: CO2, Germany, LIKAT
Category: Research
