Design of Catalysts and Reactors for CO2 Utilization
A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalytic Reaction Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: nanomaterials and nanotechnology; heterogeneous nano-catalysis; environmental catalysis (NOx, N2O; CO, CH4, VOCs, H2S and SO2 emissions control); catalysts’ promotion; electrochemical promotion; surfaces and interfaces; electrochemistry; fuel cells; CO2 utilization; biogas and natural gas valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: catalytic methane oxidation; LSM perovskites; Iridium; thermal aging stability; lean conditions; hysteresis phenomena
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the forthcoming Special Issue on “Design of Catalysts and Reactors for CO2 Utilization”.
The ever-increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. CO2, an unwanted by-product of industrial activity, has in recent years been increasingly recognized as a valuable and abundant source of carbon that can be harnessed for the sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, and advanced materials, in line with the basic principles of the circular economy. CO2 utilization technologies are a rapidly growing research area at the interface of nanomaterials science, catalysis, and chemical engineering. The conversion of CO2, a thermodynamically stable molecule, depends largely on the development of advanced catalytic nanomaterials with tailored composition, structure, and functionality, enhancing their activity, selectivity, and time-on-stream stability. Recent advances in nanostructured catalysts have enabled significant progress across a wide range of CO2 utilization pathways, including CO2 hydrogenation to methanol, methane, and higher hydrocarbons; the reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction; dry reforming of methane (DRM); and electrochemical and photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction. Despite notable achievements at the laboratory scale, the translation of catalysis-based CO2 utilization technologies into industrial applications remains a major challenge. Critical issues related to catalyst durability, scalable nanomaterial synthesis, reactor integration, and process intensification must be addressed to enable the development of technologies with high Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), capable of being promoted for industrial application.
This Special Issue aims to gather and present the latest research advances in CO2 utilization technologies, with particular emphasis on the design and development of reactors and the synthesis of advanced catalyst formulations, with the overarching goal of effectively bridging the gap between laboratory-scale research and industrial implementation.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Design, synthesis, and optimization of catalytic systems for CO2 utilization;
- Advanced and intensified reactor concepts for CO2 conversion;
- Scale-up strategies and pilot-scale studies;
- Studies and applications aimed at increasing the level of technological readiness (TRL).
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Ioannis V. Yentekakis
Dr. Catherine Drosou
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- CO2 utilization
- thermal, electrochemical, photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction
- CO2 hydrogenation
- dry (CO2) reforming of methane
- reactor design
- heterogeneous nanocatalyst design
- catalysts promotion
- circular economy
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