An amino acid based system for CO ₂ capture and catalytic utilization to produce formates†

Abstract

Herein, we report a novel amino acid based reaction system for CO ₂ capture and utilization (CCU) to produce formates in the presence of the naturally occurring amino acid l-lysine. Utilizing a specific ruthenium-based catalyst system, hydrogenation of absorbed carbon dioxide occurs with high activity and excellent productivity. Noteworthy, following the CCU concept, CO ₂ can be captured from ambient air in the form of carbamates and converted directly to formates in one-pot (TON > 50 000). This protocol opens new potential for transforming captured CO ₂ from ambient air to C1-related products.

Abstract

A novel amino acid based reaction system for CO ₂ capture and utilization (CCU) to produce formates is presented applying a ruthenium-based catalyst. Noteworthy, CO ₂ can be captured from ambient air and converted to formates in one-pot (TON > 50 000).