Pyrrolizidines for direct air capture and CO2 conversion

Abstract

Greenhouse gases such as CO₂ strongly contribute to the rising temperatures of our planet, but as long as our society is dependent on fossil fuels, this trend will even increase in the near future. Therefore, CO₂ capture and subsequent utilization constitute an approach for decarbonization and CO₂ mitigation, and for this purpose, amine scrubbing remains the industrially most established process. In this article, we describe the CO₂ capture-ability of pyrrolizidine-based diamines, a scaffold with remarkably good properties to fulfill this challenge. We observed fast equimolar CO₂-uptake, as well as high stability of these compounds during multiple capture and release-cycles. In addition, the amines could be utilized for direct air capture. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of the pyrrolizidine absorbents in the reduction of CO₂ and for the formation of oxazolidinones.