Multiphasic reaction of bicarbonate hydrogenation to form formate using homogeneous Ru PNP pincer catalyst in a continuous flow tubular reactor is reported. The reaction system consists of three phases. Catalyst is dissolved in toluene while potassium bicarbonate is dissolved in water. The significance of efficient mixing among the organic phase, aqueous phase and gaseous hydrogen to improve hydrogenation reaction by using different inert packing materials is studied by operando visualization and also quantitatively discussed. The bicarbonate conversion of up to 67% is achieved after optimization of important reaction and reactor parameters. The designed reactor setup comprised of effective recycling system that recycles the catalyst with >99% activity.

Herein, we present a practical strategy to enhance the performance of a multiphase system for bicarbonate hydrogenation based on a molecular Ru-PNP pincer catalyst. This study demonstrates that the use of organic antioxidants not only mitigates catalyst degradation but also significantly boosts its intrinsic activity. This enables efficient catalyst recycling at ultra-low concentrations. Systematic screening and optimization of a range of organic antioxidants has identified TDTBP (tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite) as being exceptionally efficient in stabilizing and enhancing the performance of the Ru-PNP catalyst. With the optimized system an unprecedented integral turnover frequency (TOF) of 115,000 h⁻¹ and a total turnover number (TTON) of 9.43×10⁶ across four recycling tests were demonstrated, conducted at a reaction temperature of 90 ºC and H₂ pressure of 50 bar. These findings represent a substantial advancement in sustainable formate/formic acid production, offering a scalable and highly efficient method suitable for industrial-scale application.