Converting CO₂ into Fuel and Chemicals

Dear Colleagues,

The post-industrial revolution world is facing two major challenges, namely an energy crisis and global warming. The hydrogenation of exhausted CO₂ to fuel (closing the loop of carbon recycling) provides an energy storage solution for intermittent renewable sources, which can be then used as fuel or feedstock for consumer products; therefore, becoming a viable technological solution to current energy shortage and sustainability issues. Although many efforts have been made in relation to catalytic CO₂ methanation, effectively activating the thermodynamically-stable CO₂ molecule continues to be an obstacle, as it requires high temperatures and is an energy-intensive process.

The catalytic reduction of CO₂ by H₂ can lead to the formation of several types of products, such as CO produced through the reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction, methanol generated via selective hydrogenation, and hydrocarbons formed through combination of CO₂ reduction with Fischer–Tropsch (FT) reactions. Investigations into these routes reveal that the stabilization of key reaction intermediates is critically important for controlling catalytic selectivity. Precious metals, such as Pt, Rh, and Ru, supported on various oxides (e.g., Al₂O₃, TiO₂, SiO₂, CeO₂, and ZrO₂) are well known to promote CO₂ reduction under relatively mild operating conditions; however, their high cost, as well as limited availability, restrict their practical application.

Research articles in all areas of heterogeneous catalysis including deactivation and poisoning of catalysts, microwave/ultrasonic/plasma assisted catalysis, high throughput experimentation, mechanistic studies, new reaction media (supercritical solvents, ionic liquids, etc.), preparation and modification of catalysts, reaction kinetics and engineering aspects, spectroscopic characterization, surface science, theory and modelling, transport effects (heat of mass) from both experimental and computational perspectives are encouraged. Articles focusing on bimetallic/alloy catalysts, colloidal catalysts, mesoporous materials, metal catalysts (solid, supported or not), metal oxides, self-assembled catalysts, sol–gel catalysts, supported catalysts, zeolites, perovskite, and spinel are welcome as well.

Dr. Hamidreza Arandiyan
Ms. Yuan Wang
Guest Editors

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