Descripción del proyecto
Liberación del potencial del CO2 benigno y sostenible como materia prima para la síntesis orgánica
La química de la carbonilación, es decir, la introducción de un grupo carbonilo caracterizado por un átomo de carbono que forma un doble enlace con un átomo de oxígeno, es un área importante de la síntesis orgánica. En este momento, el monóxido de carbono (CO) es la fuente de carbonilo más común. Sin embargo, aunque su conversión es relativamente sencilla a través de catalizadores de metal de transición, el CO es un gas tóxico. El uso de un CO2 benigno, abundante y renovable podría ser una propuesta beneficiosa tanto para la industria química como para el planeta, pero el CO2 es muy estable y requiere unos catalizadores potentes y entornos agresivos para su activación. El proyecto CARBOFLOW, financiado con fondos europeos, está desarrollando un proceso catalítico nuevo para producir compuestos de carbonilo a partir de CO2 en condiciones moderadas. Permitirá producir sustancias químicas finas y a granel valiosas para la industria química de forma más segura y sostenible.
Objetivo
Since the discovery in the nineteenth century, carbonylation chemistry has found broad applicability in chemical industries and become now a key technology for bulk and fine chemical synthesis. Despite its substantial toxicity, carbon monoxide (CO) is commonly used as carbonyl source causing considerable safety issues, particularly when used on bulk scale. The replacement of this hazardous gas with more benign surrogates would be highly desirable, and recent ideas focus on the valorisation of carbon dioxide as abundant, non-toxic and renewable carbon resource. However, few industrial processes utilise carbon dioxide as a raw material, and potent catalysts are required to overcome its thermodynamic and kinetic barrier. In this regard, ionic liquids show considerable potential as cooperative media as they can solubilise large concentrations of carbon dioxide but also strongly interact and activate carbon dioxide.
This project focuses on the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide in ionic liquids and its successive conversion into carbonyl compounds. Several goals need to be realised, including fundamental studies and optimisation of the ionic liquid co-catalysed photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to produce CO under mild conditions (Goal 1). The reactivity of formed CO in supercritical carbon dioxide with various organic substrates needs to be explored (Goal 2) before finally developing a streamlined and continuous process for the direct formation of carbonyl compounds from carbon dioxide (Goal 3).
I envision that the photocatalytic activation of carbon dioxide in combination with the positive features of tailored ionic liquids as co-catalysts may overcome problems currently associated with carbon dioxide utilisation, eventually replacing the long-standing bastion of CO-based carbonylation chemistry with novel solutions.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantInstitución de acogida
1040 Wien
Austria