Yale breakthrough uses inexpensive metals to turn carbon dioxide into clean fuel

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Scientists at Yale University and the University of Missouri have developed a new method to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into formate, a key material for clean energy storage.

The team utilized a catalyst made from manganese, an abundant and low-cost metal. The discovery offers a sustainable alternative to current processes that rely on expensive precious metals.

According to the study published in the journal Chem, formate is considered a promising medium for storing hydrogen, which powers next-generation fuel cells. While fuel cells convert chemical energy into electricity, large-scale hydrogen production and storage have long proven difficult for the industry.

This new technique addresses a major logistical hurdle by creating formate from atmospheric CO2 rather than relying on fossil fuels.

Researchers redesigned the molecular structure of the manganese catalyst to improve its performance. The study found the updated catalyst is more durable and efficient than most versions made from rare, high-cost metals.

A breakthrough in catalyst research may have solved the two most persistent bottlenecks of the hydrogen economy: prohibitive costs and storage complexity. While hydrogen is a cornerstone of the global energy transition, the logistical hurdles of transporting it as a high-pressure gas or cryogenic liquid have long stymied large-scale adoption. Utilizing formate as a liquid carrier offers a streamlined alternative, yet its production has historically relied on fossil fuels, negating the environmental benefits of the technology.

New research from Yale and the University of Missouri effectively breaks this cycle by producing formate directly from captured carbon dioxide. This development points toward a viable closed-loop carbon economy, where greenhouse gas emissions are sequestered to create fuel, which then releases energy without adding to the atmospheric carbon load.

From an industrial policy perspective, the most significant advancement is the shift away from precious metal catalysts. Previous high-efficiency models relied on platinum or rhodium—rare, expensive metals that make industrial scaling economically unfeasible. By demonstrating that manganese, an abundant and low-cost base metal, can perform with high efficiency, researchers have cleared the primary hurdle for mass-market commercialization. This transition from laboratory success to industrial viability is a critical milestone for the integration of hydrogen into the global energy supply chain.