Researchers discover process to produce ethanol from CO2

In Singapore, a research team at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology said that they have developed a technique to produce ethanol from carbon dioxide (CO2) using N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), an organocatalyst, and a combination of silica and hydrogen. Previous attempts to turn CO2 into more useful products have required more energy input and a much longer reaction time. Methanol can also be produced from the process, which can replace previous technologies for producing useful energies from CO2. NHCs are stable and the reaction between NHCs and carbon dioxide can take place under mild conditions in dry air, by adding only a small amount of the catalyst. “Hydrosilane provides hydrogen, which bonds with carbon dioxide in a reduction reaction. This carbon dioxide reduction is efficiently catalyzed by NHCs even at room temperature,” research team leader Yugen Zhang said. (April 16/20, 2009)