Rare-Earth Metal-Catalysed Carbon Monoxide Reduction

Hydrocarbons are key resources for the production of fuels, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Such fuels are combusted to carbon oxides, typically carbon dioxide, which is omnipresent in the atmosphere. However, carbon oxides can also be used as resources for the production of hydrocarbons. In this way, a green-house gas can substitute fossil resources like mineral oil and coal in hydrocarbon production. This is a sustainable option to close the industrial carbon cycle. Such industrial processes are known, but suffer of high energy demand. Therefore, more energy- and resource-efficient pathways to convert carbon oxides to hydrocarbons are highly sought after. This project is focussed on the carbon-carbon bond formation, which is the key step in the conversion of carbon monoxide to hydrocarbons, using rare- earth metals. These metals are more abundant than their name suggests and their high potential regarding this chemistry has been demonstrated in previous works. In addition to the carbon-carbon bond formation, the exchange of oxygen for hydrogen will be investigated to gain further insight into the conversion of carbon monoxide to hydrocarbons. The key aim of the project is to improve our knowledge and understanding of the conversion of carbon oxides to hydrocarbons. In this way, our work supports the development of energy- and resource-efficient industrial processes to convert the abundant green- house gas carbon dioxide to industrially important hydrocarbons.