Scientists from Russia (HSE University), Iran, and France have created a new catalyst based on graphene and metal oxides (iron, cobalt, nickel, copper) that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into valuable chemicals with a record efficiency of 77%. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Science Foundation.
The reaction occurs at room temperature and normal pressure, which drastically reduces energy consumption compared to existing methods. The main conversion products are methylbutanol alcohol and methylbutanone ketone, widely used in the production of medicines, solvents, and flavorings.
The catalyst remains stable for at least 10 hours without loss of activity, which is critical for industrial applications. Its efficiency is 17% higher than that of silver or copper-based analogues (60%). The technology develops previous work at HSE University, where a catalyst for converting CO₂ into formic acid was previously created.
The development solves some global problems—it reduces CO₂ emissions by turning harmful gas into useful raw materials, and it also reduces the cost of producing organic compounds due to mild reaction conditions (no heating or high pressure is needed).
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