Selective scission of glucose molecule by a Pd-modulated Co-based catalyst for efficient CO2 reduction under mild conditions

Combining terrestrial biomass as the reductant with submarine-type hydrothermal environments for CO₂ reduction represents a possible approach for novel energy production systems that sustainably circulate carbon. However, increasing the reductive power of biomass is the main limitation of this potential method. Herein, we demonstrate that Co-doped with small amounts of Pd enhances the reduction of CO₂ by selectively producing an active intermediate from carbohydrates. This catalytic reaction utilized glucose as a reductant to achieve high formate production efficiency (458.6 g kg⁻¹) with nearly 100% selectivity with 7.5 wt% Pd₁Co₂₀/γ–Al₂O₃ at a moderate temperature of 225 °C. The regulation of the electronic structure of the catalytic Co surface by the dopant Pd plays a key role in promoting the C–C bond cleavage of glucose and hydrogen transfer for CO₂ reduction. The findings presented here indicate that biomass can serve as the hydrogen source for CO₂ reduction and provide insight into the potential utilization of CO₂ in sustainable industrial applications.