Sustainable catalytic conversion of CO2 into urea and its derivatives

With a production exceeding 200 million tons per year, urea and its derivatives currently represent the most important class of commercial derivatives originating from the CO2 utilization, but their synthesis is still mainly based on high energy demanding processes which, in addition, use often chemicals threatening both human health and environment. Recently, the development of innovative catalytic processes for the conversion of CO2, recovered from industrial emissions, into urea and derivatives, is receiving increasing attention; the use of simple metal salts or their complexes has made it possible to obtain some of these valuable products under mild operating conditions. Moreover, by using safer chemicals and harmless procedures, it allows the definition of new synthetic routes that are more sustainable from both energy and environmental point of views.