Hydrothermal Reduction of CO2 to Low-Carbon Compounds

The reduction of CO₂ under hydrothermal conditions has attracted more attention in recent years. On the one hand, it is a feasible program to solve the "Greenhouse Effect" problem; on the other hand, it has plausible implications for the abiotic synthesis of complex organic molecules in prebiotic chemistry because the hydrothermal system is considered to be one of the most suitable environments for the origin of life. Furthermore, iron, which accounts for 5.0 wt% of the Earth's crust, is abundant and widespread. It is widely used as a catalyst in the reduction of CO₂ and could play an important role in prebiotic synthesis. Higher CO₂ pressure can increase the yield of formic acid because a more active center is formed at the surface of the iron nanoparticles with more CO₂ adsorbed. The volume of water has little effect on the conversion of CO₂.