Advances in CO2 Methanation: Catalyst Engineering, Mechanistic Insights, and Process Intensification Strategies
A special issue of Methane (ISSN 2674-0389).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 320
Special Issue Editors
Interests: CO2 hydrogenation; CO2-to-olefins; high-pressure catalysis; integrated CO2 capture and utilization; catalyst synthesis and characterization; biomass upgrading; dry reforming; alkane dehydrogenation
Interests: biomass upgrading; CO2 hydrogenation; oxidative coupling of CH4; dry reforming of CH4; glycerol steam reforming; high-pressure catalysis; biomass-derived oil hydrodeoxygenation; catalyst synthesis and characterization
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In the global pursuit of a carbon-neutral economy, CO2 methanation has emerged as a cornerstone technology for the energy transition. In this process, CO2 can be captured from industrial flue gases or even ambient air (Direct Air Capture, DAC), and, using green hydrogen, it can be converted to renewable CH4 or Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG). This "Power-to-Gas" pathway leverages the existing natural gas infrastructure, offering a robust solution for long-term storage and long-distance transport of renewable energy.
Despite its great potential, the industrial deployment of the CO2 methanation process still faces significant hurdles. The primary challenge lies in developing cost-efficient catalysts that maintain high catalytic performance at low operating temperatures, where CH4 selectivity is thermodynamically favored.
This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge strategies to overcome these barriers, including
- Catalyst Engineering: Innovations in active metal dispersion, metal–support interactions, catalyst nanostructuring, and the role of promoters/dopants and bimetallic catalysts.
- Mechanistic Insights: Advanced operando and in situ characterization techniques, paired with computational modeling, to decode reaction pathways and surface intermediates.
- Process Intensification: Strategies to enhance space-time yield and thermal management, including high-pressure operation, microchannel reactors, sorption-enhanced processes, and structured catalyst supports.
We cordially invite researchers to contribute novel, pioneering work, or comprehensive reviews that push the boundaries of CO2 methanation within the framework of this Special Issue. We hope this collection of research studies and reviews will provide a forward-looking platform for scientific exchange, fostering further innovation and development toward the large-scale implementation of CO2 methanation technologies.
Dr. Anastasios Tsiotsias
Dr. Giorgos Siakavelas
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. Methane is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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 methanation
- power-to-Gas
- catalyst engineering
- novel catalysts
- mechanistic investigation
- operando characterization
- process intensification
- high-pressure operation
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