CO2 reduction to methane and methanol using formic acid as a key intermediate

Résumé :

In the context of greenhouse gas reduction and creating a circular economy based on CO₂, this thesis manuscript focuses on developing reactions to convert CO₂ into methanol and methane, two prized industrial molecules, via the intermediate production of formic acid.
The latter can be considered as a platform molecule derivable directly from CO₂. This research aimed to develop and apply reactions for the disproportionation of formic acid into methanol and methane using different reaction sequences and couplings.
It first addresses the design and optimization of a novel electro-thermocatalytic coupling for converting CO₂ into methanol and then estimates its energy demand. The unlocking of a new methane synthetic pathway by decarboxylation of methyl formate enabled the development of a novel reaction sequence for the dismutation of formic acid into methane.

The unlocking of a new methane synthetic pathway by decarboxylation of methyl formate enabled the development of a novel reaction sequence for the dismutation of formic acid into methane.

Keywords: formic acid, methanol, methane, carbon dioxide, homogeneous catalysis, disproportionation