Carbon dioxide photoreduction in prebiotic environments

Abstract

The reduction of carbon dioxide is one of the hottest topics due to the concern of global warming. Carbon dioxide reduction is also an essential step for life's origins as photoautotrophs arose soon after Earth formation. Both the topics are of high general interest, and possibly, there could be a fruitful cross-fertilization of the two fields. Herein, we selected and collected papers related to photoreduction of carbon dioxide using compounds easily available on the Earth and considered of prebiotic relevance. This work might be useful also to scientists interested in carbon dioxide photoreduction and/or to have an overview of the techniques available.

Advancements in Materials Science and Photocatalysts for Sustainable Development

“…Nonetheless, the free energy value for the reduction corresponds to a photon in the visiblelight spectrum, illustrating the importance of photochemistry [4]. Out of all of the CO 2 reduction strategies in this category, photocatalytic methods that use solar energy appear to be the most strategic and in need of improvement, since they have the potential to produce green organic molecules that can be used to produce renewable fuels.…”