Chemists around the world are seeking viable solutions to reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂). A popular approach would be to convert the gas from a waste to be used as a resource. However, there is an activation problem as CO₂’s molecular stability makes it difficult to convert from a raw material into useful chemicals or fuels. This stability is challenging when conducting experiments to activate or reactivate CO₂.

Scientists and researchers at the JKU’s "Schoefberger Lab" located at the Institute of Organic Chemistry have developed new catalysts that can efficiently convert CO₂ into alcohols or organic acids. The scientific work was conducted as part of two projects financed by the Austrian Science Fund. The findings have now been published in the journals Nature Communications and Angewandte Chemie. Alternatively, industries can reuse the converted CO₂ instead of it being released into the environment.

The chemist will explain how this works as part of a presentation for “Lectures for Future”.