OLE-DIOX has developed and validated a novel carboxylation of unactivated olefins, feedstock materials of utmost synthetic relevance in industrial settings, with carbon dioxide as C1 building block. Such a route has provided a technological push for the production of carboxylic acids and fatty acids from simple precursors. Specifically, it has been shown the viability for catalytically preparing fatty acids from hydrocarbon feedstocks via either a bromination/carboxylation sequence or by a technique that repurposes three renewable feedstocks (water, CO2 and unactivated olefins) in a synergistic fashion. A patent has been filed to protect these results for potential commercialization.
