CO₂ becomes a resource for more sustainable chemistry

Carbon dioxide is best known as one of the main greenhouse gases driving climate change. Yet it can also become a valuable resource for developing safer and more sustainable chemical processes. This is the finding of an international study published in Science, with contributions from the Politecnico di Milano and its Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta".

The research demonstrates a new way of using CO₂: not only as a source of carbon, but also as an oxygen donor in a key organic reaction used to produce molecules for the chemical, pharmaceutical and materials industries.

The new method combines CO₂ with visible light and an iron-based catalyst, avoiding the use of highly reactive oxidising agents and heavy metals commonly employed in conventional processes. The reaction takes place at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, producing ketones and carboxylic acids with high selectivity.

Researchers from the Politecnico di Milano contributed to the design and characterisation of the catalyst. The team included Professor Gianvito Vilé and postdoctoral researcher Xiufang He.