University of Nottingham develops solar catalyst that converts CO₂ and biowaste into valuable chemicals simultaneously

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have created a solar-driven catalyst system that uses a single photon to both reduce carbon dioxide into formate and oxidize biomass-derived waste into building blocks for sustainable plastics. The process runs in a bias-free photoelectrochemical reactor with no additional heat or electricity input, achieving around 93% efficiency for CO₂-to-formate conversion and 95% for biomass oxidation. The catalysts are made from earth-abundant materials, making them more scalable than alternatives that rely on expensive or scarce elements. This approach directly addresses two challenges at once: turning a greenhouse gas into a useful chemical used in textiles, paints, and pharmaceuticals, while also producing precursors for next-generation bio-based plastics from waste. The researchers note that a life cycle assessment confirmed the environmental benefits of the process. Future work aims to integrate the system with industrial CO₂ sources and biorefineries for distributed, low-carbon chemical manufacturing. The work was funded by an EPSRC Programme Grant and published in Communications Materials. It builds on the group's earlier research into on-surface catalyst assembly for hydrogen production and CO₂-to-methanol conversion.