Advanced Catalysts for the Production of Methanol from CO₂

Dear Colleagues, 

Global warming caused by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration and depletion of fossil fuels is becoming the focus of worldwide attention. Fossil fuels remain the predominant energy source, causing high CO₂ emissions and uncertain prospects for energy production after their depletion. Chemical utilization of CO₂ is believed to be an effective method to prevent a further increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Although most research focuses on CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, CO₂ conversions remain low (<20%) due to difficulties activating CO₂. Recently, the catalytic conversion of CO₂ has attracted considerable attention because it can also provide useful chemicals such as methanol which can be transformed into other high-volume-based chemicals. The biggest challenge is the activation of CO₂, which requires copious amounts of energy due to the lack of an effective process. However, few industrial processes have utilized CO₂ as raw material to produce high-value chemicals.

Methanol is a versatile feedstock with a consolidated market expected to grow mainly due to its use as a renewable fuel and basic chemical. It is important to note that most methanol produced today is derived from fossil fuels, primarily natural gas. The main types of methanol are grey methanol derived from natural gas, blue methanol derived from natural gas combined with carbon capture and storage, and e-methanol derived from renewable electricity and captured CO₂. The latter two fuels can be considered “green methanol”. Developing a low-temperature process for the production of green methanol synthesis would greatly reduce the production costs. With an effective process, higher CO₂ conversions at low temperatures are attainable.

Submissions to this Special Issue on “Conversion of CO₂ to Methanol” may take the form of original research papers and short reviews which reflect state-of-the-art research on the conversion of CO₂ to methanol through thermocatalytic, photocatalytic, and electrocatalytic routes on the following topics: selective catalytic conversion of CO₂ to methanol, CO₂ hydrogenation catalyst research and development, catalyst deactivation, CO₂ hydrogenation reaction mechanisms, kinetics and modeling, and structure–functional relationships in CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts.

Dr. Venkata D. B. C. Dasireddy
Guest Editor

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• selective catalytic conversion of CO₂ to methanol
• CO₂ hydrogenation catalyst research and development
• catalyst deactivation
• CO₂ hydrogenation reaction mechanisms
• kinetics and modelling
• structure–functional relationships in CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts