The combustion of fossil fuels is believed to have caused a rapid increase in the amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered a key ¿greenhouse¿ gas and its accumulation in the atmosphere is believed to be a primary cause of the global energy imbalance that is driving climate change. This project will develop a method for capturing and converting carbon dioxide into valuable and useful chemicals. The approach will involve the use of stable metal oxides, in particular zirconia, as catalysts for the conversion of CO2 and alkyl alcohols into carbonate reaction products. These metal oxides are extremely durable at high temperature and pressures, thus allowing their use to be continuous and cost effective. In Phase I, methanol and CO2 will be combined in a zirconia reactor operating at supercritical conditions to produce useful chemicals including dimethyl carbonate, which is considered a green chemical. In Phase II, the technology will be scaled up for the production of industrial quantities.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The zirconia catalyst technology should represent an exciting new opportunity for the energy and chemical industry. In addition to helping solve the CO2 problem, the production of useful chemicals from this gas should provide a multimillion dollar opportunity in the production of products with applications in plastics, fuel oxygenates, specialty solvents, and downstream chemical syntheses
