TURNING CARBON DIOXIDE INTO ADDED-VALUE CHEMICALS

 The chemical industry is the world’s third-largest industrial emitter, accounting for over 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Its foundational building blocks, acids, alcohols, plastics, and other commodity chemicals, are largely made from fossil-derived feedstocks via high temperature, high-pressure processes that are notoriously difficult to decarbonise.

Carboxylic acids are an important group within this sector. They are widely used as intermediates in the production of food preservatives, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, textiles, and fine chemicals. However most carboxylic acids are produced through petrochemical routes involving energy-intensive oxidation or carbonylation processes, generating significant emissions and hazardous by-products. Yet despite growing policy pressure and sustainability pledges, low-carbon alternatives for carboxylic acid production remain scarce and often commercially unviable at scale.