Vinegar could be secret ingredient in fight against climate crisis

Acetic acid is an important chemical used in several industrial processes and is an ingredient in household vinegar, vinyl paints and some glues. Worldwide industrial demand for acetic acid is estimated to be 6.5 million tonnes per year. Chemical engineers at Monash University have developed an industrial process to produce acetic acid that uses the excess carbon dioxide(CO₂) in the atmosphere, and has a potential to create negative carbon emissions. This world-first research, published in Nature Communications , shows that acetic acid can be made from captured CO₂ using an economical solid catalyst to replace the liquid rhodium or iridium based catalysts currently used. Liquid catalysts require additional separation and purification processes. Using a solid catalyst made from a production method that doesn't require further processing also reduces emissions. Lead researcher Associate Professor Akshat Tanksale said the research could be a widely adopted practice for industry.