Formic acid: a future bridge between the power and chemical industries

In the future hydrogen economy, formic acid is considered an efficient hydrogen storage molecule and a new C-1 building block for the chemical industry. Formic acid could be used as a sustainable carbon monoxide source. In the present work efficient catalysts for the decomposition of formic acid and its derivatives to carbon monoxide have been found. The proposed catalysts are widely available zeolites, making the process feasible for industrial scale applications. Thus, formic acid and its derivatives could be seen as liquid and storable versions of carbon monoxide, which could be directly used in the existing chemical value chain.