8
Chem. Pharm. Bull. 64, 8–13 (2016)
Vol. 64, No. 1
Communication to the Editor
CO gas from chemical absorbent requires heating at high
Energyless CO Absorption, Generation,
and Fixation Using Atmospheric CO2
2
2
temperature, which uses high amount of electricity. This
means that introducing CCS plants spends one part of electric-
generating capacity in power station. The limited number of
sites is also problematic because CCS plants must be con-
Fuyuhiko Inagaki,* Yasuhiko Okada,
Chiaki Matsumoto, Masayuki Yamada,
Kenta Nakazawa, and Chisato Mukai
structed near areas with high CO
use solar light and a metal catalyst. In this approach, CO is
densities. In contrast, APSs
2
2
12)
13)
transformed into HCO H or CO, whereby the products can
2
Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of
Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University; Kakuma-machi,
Kanazawa 920–1192, Japan.
Received October 15, 2015; accepted November 10, 2015; advance
publication released online November 20, 2015
be converted to sources of energy (such as methanol). The use
of this system is more valuable than CCS from an economic
perspective; however, APSs have been shown to work only
when high concentrations of CO (>1atm) are present. Plant-
2
ing trees and developing alternative energy resources (e.g., H2,
biofuel, and solar power) are also ongoing activities. Unfortu-
From an economic and ecological perspective, the efficient
utilization of atmospheric CO as a carbon resource should nately, planting trees does not offer an immediate economic
2
be a much more important goal than reducing CO emissions. benefit,ꢀ andꢀ fossilꢀ fuelsꢀ remainꢀ theꢀ cheapestꢀ energyꢀ source.ꢀ
2
However, no strategy to harvest CO using atmospheric CO2 Continuous efforts to establish a more promising method for
2
at room temperature currently exists, which is presumably
due to the extremely low concentration of CO2 in ambient
air (approximately 400ppmꢀ0.04vol%). We discovered that
monoethanolamine (MEA) and its derivatives efficiently ab-
CO reduction are needed. Clearly, the lack of an immediate
2
economic advantage for CO reduction prevents positive ac-
2
tion toward solving this issue. In this regard, an indirect eco-
21)
nomic approach called “carbon emission trading” has been
introduced. This concept is currently one of the most effective
tactics for reducing carbon dioxide production, although it is
sorbed atmospheric CO without requiring an energy source.
2
We also found that the absorbed CO could be easily liberated
2
with acid. Furthermore, a novel CO generator enabled us to
2
yet to limit CO production to an ideal level. To address these
synthesize a high value-added material (i.e., 2-oxazolidinone
2
derivatives based on the metal catalyzed CO -fixation at room problems, we developed an “energyless CO
ꢀfixation”ꢀmethod,ꢀ
2
2
temperature) from atmospheric CO2.
or ECO -fix.ꢀECO -fixꢀisꢀaꢀnovelꢀatmosphericꢀCO ꢀfixationꢀre-
2
2
2
action that does not require energy input, such as solar power,
Key words carbon dioxide absorption; carbon dioxide gener-
ation;ꢀcarbonꢀdioxideꢀfixation;ꢀcyclization;ꢀatmosphericꢀchemistry
heating, cooling, or stirring. Moreover, ECO -fixꢀalsoꢀhasꢀtheꢀ
2
capacity to produce high value-added materials, such as pre-
cursors of medicines, chemical products, and energy sources.
In 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ECO -fixꢀ hasꢀ fourꢀ majorꢀ advantages.ꢀ First,ꢀ theꢀ reactionꢀ
2
1)
(
IPCC) reported that warming of the climate is unequivo- absorbs CO , which mimics processes that occur in plants.
2
cal and that the largest contribution is a result of increasing Second, the valuable products generated from CO possess
2
atmospheric CO since 1750. In the previous year, the National financialꢀvalue.ꢀThird,ꢀcarbonꢀcreditsꢀcanꢀstillꢀbeꢀtradedꢀbasedꢀ
2
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Mauna on the quantity of CO ꢀthatꢀcanꢀbeꢀfixed.ꢀFinally,ꢀregardlessꢀofꢀ
2
Loa, Hawaii, observed that the concentration of atmospheric geographic location, CO is abundant in the atmosphere. Thus,
2
CO ꢀsurpassedꢀ400ꢀppmꢀforꢀtheꢀfirstꢀtimeꢀsinceꢀmeasurementsꢀ the development of ECO -fixꢀwillꢀprovideꢀbothꢀecologicalꢀandꢀ
2
2
began in 1958. This value is approximately 120ppm higher economicꢀbenefits.
than that of the pre-industrial atmosphere (approximately
Since the discovery of the famous Kolbe–Schmidt
2)
22,23)
24)
2
80 ppm). Global CO emissions from fuel combustion in reaction
and Grignard reaction with CO , several CO
2
2 2
2
5–47)
2
012 reached a record of 31.7 gigatons (GtCO ) based on fixationꢀ methodsꢀ haveꢀ beenꢀ reportedꢀ inꢀ theꢀ literature.
2
calculations performed by the International Energy Agency However, no methods for CO ꢀfixationꢀareꢀsimilarꢀtoꢀECO -fix,ꢀ
2
2
3
)
(
IEA). On the other hand, there are many reports that CO
which is presumably due to the extremely low concentrations
The experi- of CO (approximately 400ppm, or 0.04%) in the ambient air.
2
4
–10)
is not an essential source for Climate Change.
2
mental fact can only prove the answer of these discussions. Air also contains other reactive species, including O (20%)
2
Thus, techniques for reduction of CO must be globally im- and water (approximately 0.4%, depending on the environ-
2
portant.
ment), which may prevent the desired reactions. Therefore,
14–20)
Current efforts for CO reduction include CO2 capture we focused on monoethanolamine (MEA 1),
which is a
and storage (CCS) ꢀ andꢀ artificialꢀ photosyntheticꢀ systemsꢀ chemical absorbent that is capable of capturing CO ꢀfromꢀflueꢀ
2
11)
2
1
2,13)
(
APSs).
CCS involves the capture of CO using chemical gas or other gaseous streams. Normal carbamic acid rapidly
2
14–20)
absorbent (i.e., monoethanolamine, MEA 1 etc.)
in high- decarboxylates to form an amine while liberating CO . The
2
density areas, such as industrial facilities and power stations, hydroxyethyl moiety of MEA 1 is crucial for trapping CO2,
and transporting CO to deep subsurface rock formations or whichꢀ isꢀ usefulꢀ informationꢀ forꢀ developingꢀ aꢀ methodꢀ toꢀ fixꢀ
2
the bottom of the ocean via pipelines. This is a useful and CO from the atmosphere. Nevertheless, the ability of MEA
2
efficientꢀtechniqueꢀthatꢀcanꢀpreventꢀtheꢀreleaseꢀofꢀlargeꢀquanti- 1 and its derivatives to absorb atmospheric CO has been un-
2
ties of CO . However, this technology does not provide any developed.ꢀThus,ꢀweꢀfirstꢀtestedꢀCO absorption from ambient
2
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immediateꢀ economicꢀ benefit,ꢀ andꢀ theꢀ capturedꢀ CO2 is not air. For this experiment, we prepared a battery-powered CO2
chemically altered. In the projects of CCS, the liberation of monitor and dessicator (dimensions of 465×290×265mm,
*
ꢀToꢀwhomꢀcorrespondenceꢀshouldꢀbeꢀaddressed.ꢀ e-mail:ꢀfinagaki@p.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
©
2016 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan