Continuous-flow hydrogenation of CO₂ using molecular catalysts

Hydrogenation of CO₂ to formic acid (HCO₂H) and methanol (MeOH) provides access to valuable products in a low-carbon economy. The development of effective processes for the production of pure HCO₂H is still in progress. Hydrogenation of CO₂ to MeOH is thermodynamically much more favorable (DG= 9.5 kJ/mole). However, homogeneous catalysts were kinetically not capable of reducing CO₂ to MeOH until recently. In the MeOH process, the first organometallic catalyst being capable of the CO₂ reduction to MeOH is immobilized in a stationary ionic liquid (IL) phase. The MeOH formed is continuously stripped from the IL phase by excess reaction gases.