Highly integrated CO2 capture and conversion: direct synthesis of cyclic carbonates from industrial flue gas

Abstract

Robust and selective catalytic systems based on early transition metal halides (Y, Sc, Zr) and organic nucleophiles were found able to quantitatively capture CO₂ from diluted streams via formation of hemicarbonate species and to convert it to cyclic organic carbonates under ambient conditions. This observation was exploited in the direct and selective chemical fixation of flue gas CO₂ collected from an industrial exhaust, affording high degrees of CO₂ capture and conversion.