Renewable Fuels and Catalysis: Expanding Pathways from CO2 and Hydrogen to Methanol, Ethanol, Methane, and Biofuels
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 March 2026 | Viewed by 66
Special Issue Editors
Interests: hydrogen/syngas; catalysis; clean energy and fuels; CCU; biomass and biofuels
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
At present, growing concerns over climate change, energy security, and the depletion of fossil resources have accelerated the search for sustainable fuel alternatives. Among them, renewable fuels, such as methanol, ethanol, methane, and advanced biofuels, have emerged as promising energy carriers and chemical feedstocks due to their versatility, high energy density, and potential to achieve carbon neutrality. Over the last decade, significant advances have been made in developing catalytic pathways for the conversion of CO2 and green hydrogen into liquid and gaseous fuels, offering a circular approach to carbon utilization while supporting the global transition toward low-carbon economies. Despite these achievements, challenges remain in catalyst design, selectivity, process optimization, scalability, and integration with renewable energy systems.
This Special Issue, ‘Renewable Fuels and Catalysis: Expanding Pathways from CO2 and Hydrogen to Methanol, Ethanol, Methane, and Biofuels’, aims to provide a platform for the latest scientific contributions and technological developments in the field. It seeks to highlight innovative catalytic materials, reaction mechanisms, process intensification strategies, and techno-economic and environmental assessments that will pave the way for sustainable fuel production at scale. By bringing together interdisciplinary research, this Special Issue intends to bridge fundamental studies with industrial applications and accelerate progress toward carbon-neutral fuel technologies.
The topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Advanced catalytic systems for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol, ethanol, and methane.
- Catalytic and biochemical routes for biofuel synthesis.
- Mechanistic insights and kinetic modeling of catalytic processes.
- Integration of renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass) with sustainable fuel synthesis.
- Process design, reactor engineering, and scale-up approaches.
- Techno-economic and life cycle assessments of renewable fuel production.
- Hybrid and emerging technologies for CO2 capture, utilization, and conversion.
- Industrial case studies and pilot-scale demonstrations.
This Special Issue welcomes contributions that advance both fundamental knowledge and practical solutions, fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers to accelerate the realization of renewable fuels as a cornerstone of a sustainable energy future.
Dr. Mohammad Yusuf
Dr. Bruna Rego de Vasconcelos
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- hydrogen
- energy and fuels
- catalysis
- CCU
- renewable methanol
- sustainable fuels
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