Researchers at IIT Indore have developed a catalytic process that converts carbon dioxide and glycerol into lactic acid and formic acid in about seven minutes. The method uses a ruthenium based catalyst with microwave heating at 50 degrees Celsius, which is much lower energy than conventional high heat and high pressure approaches. Lactic acid is a precursor for biodegradable plastics, while formic acid can be used for hydrogen storage and fuel cells. The work was led by Dr Amrendra K Singh and published in the journal Green Chemistry. By turning two waste streams into valuable chemical feedstocks, the process supports a circular economy model for industrial carbon use. The next step would be scaling the reaction from lab bench to pilot plant and assessing the net energy and cost balance at industrial volumes.
