Chemists designed a nickel catalyst that easily transforms petroleum feedstocks into valuable compounds like fatty acids. The process is environmentally friendly: not only it works at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, but also recycles carbon dioxide, contributing to the fight against climate change.
Fatty acids are key in several industrial processes like the manufacture of soaps, plastics –such as nylon– and dyes. Experts estimate that the global market for these compounds could reach $20 billion in the next few years. Classical synthetic methods to obtain fatty acids often require toxic and hazardous reagents like carbon monoxide and extreme conditions of pressures and temperatures. Alternative methods like the derivatization of natural products are less dangerous, but lead to complicated mixtures of products that require tedious purifications.
Chemists designed a nickel catalyst that easily transforms petroleum feedstocks into valuable compounds like fatty acids. The process is environmentally friendly: not only it works at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, but also recycles carbon dioxide, contributing to the fight against climate change.
Fatty acids are key in several industrial processes like the manufacture of soaps, plastics –such as nylon– and dyes. Experts estimate that the global market for these compounds could reach $20 billion in the next few years. Classical synthetic methods to obtain fatty acids often require toxic and hazardous reagents like carbon monoxide and extreme conditions of pressures and temperatures. Alternative methods like the derivatization of natural products are less dangerous, but lead to complicated mixtures of products that require tedious purifications. Now, a team led by Prof. Rubén Martín at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) synthesized a sustainable nickel catalyst that solves both problems. It leads to pure fatty acids from raw hydrocarbons and CO2, which is less toxic than carbon monoxide.
Unrefined mixtures of hydrocarbons, olefins, and other petroleum-derived feedstocks can now be easily transformed into fatty acids. Moreover, researchers discovered the selectivity of the reaction can be regulated with subtle temperature variations. Tuning temperature, nickel slides along the hydrocarbon chain, incorporating CO2 closer to the end of the chain when the conditions are colder, and vice-versa.
Continue reading at Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ)
Image: Crude oil (Credits: Glasbruch2007 via Wikimedia Commons)
