A group of chemical engineers from Monash University made a groundbreaking discovery when they used the surplus carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere to manufacture acetic acid, which has the potential to yield negative carbon emissions.
This revolutionary study published in Nature Communications demonstrates that acetic acid may be produced from collected CO2 by using a cost-effective solid catalyst in place of the currently employed liquid catalysts based on rhodium or iridium.
The research team initially developed a category of material known as the metal organic framework (MOF), which is an exceptionally crystalline compound consisting of recurrent units of iron atoms joined by organic bonds.
They then proceeded to destroy said bonds through controlled heating of the MOF, as a result of which the iron atoms were able to unite to form particles of a few nanometers in dimension.
Since these nanoparticles are enclosed in a layer of porous carbon, they are both highly reactive and stable under the challenging reaction circumstances.
Associate Professor Akshat Tanksale, the principal researcher, expressed his optimism for the future of this project. He claims that his team is working hard to develop a cutting-edge industrially applicable technique that can be implemented on the scale necessary to promote negative emissions.
The demand for acetic acid is higher now more than ever, with an estimated value of about 6.5 million tons. On top of that; global carbon dioxide emissions are expected to reach about 43.08 billion metric tons by 2050, making this breakthrough all the more significant.