<p>Formation of
formic acid from renewable biomass resources is of great interest since formic
acid is a widely used platform chemical and has recently been regarded as an
important liquid hydrogen carrier. Herein, a novel approach is reported for the
conversion of glucose, the constituent carbohydrate from cellulose fraction of
biomass, to formic acid under mild hydrothermal conditions with simultaneous
reduction of Ag<sub>2</sub>O to Ag. Results showed that glucose was selectively
converted to formic acid with an optimum yield of 40.7% at a mild reaction
temperature of 135
for 30 min. In addition, Ag<sub>2</sub>O was
used as a solid oxidant for the glucose oxidation, which avoids the use of
traditionally dangerous liquid oxidant H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. Furthermore,
complete conversion of Ag<sub>2</sub>O to Ag can be achieved. This study not
only developed a new method for value-added chemical production from renewable
biomass but also explored an alternative low-carbon and energy-saving route for
silver extraction and recovery.</p>
CO
2
reduction into formic acid under hydrothermal conditions: A mini review
