The Prospecting Shortcut to an Old Molecule: Formaldehyde Synthesis at Low Temperature in Solution

Abstract

Over 30 megatons of formaldehyde are required per year and industrially produced through three high-temperature gas-phase processes: i) natural gas reforming to syngas, ii) methanol synthesis, and iii) partial oxidation to formaldehyde with limited selectivity. In vast contrast to these energy-intensive oxidative and dehydrogenative methods, a reductive "top-down" methodology using CO₂ and CO as carbon source would be desirable and is not very well present in the literature for more than 100 years. The key to success is the reaction performance in liquid solution in water or methanol at low temperature.

Keywords: formaldehyde; heterogeneous catalysis; methanediol; synthesis gas; water.