Synergistic Effects of Silica-Supported Iron-Cobalt Catalysts for CO₂ Reduction to Prebiotic Organics.

ABSTRACT: To test the ability of geochemical surfaces in serpentinizing hydrothermal systems to catalyze reactions from which metabolism arose, we investigated H₂-dependent CO₂ reduction toward metabolic intermediates over silica-supported Co-Fe catalysts. Supported catalysts converted CO₂ to various products at 180 °C and 2.0 MPa. The liquid product phase included formate, acetate, and ethanol, while the gaseous product phase consisted of CH₄, CO, methanol, and C₂-C₇ linear hydrocarbons. The 1/1 ratio CoFe alloy with the same composition as the natural mineral wairauite yielded the highest concentrations of formate (6.0 mM) and acetate (0.8 mM), which are key intermediates in the acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) pathway of CO₂

SUBMITTER: Belthle KS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7616659 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature