Status and perspectives of CO2 conversion into fuels and chemicals by catalytic, photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes

This review highlights recent developments and future perspectives in carbon dioxide usage for the sustainable production of energy and chemicals and to reduce global warming. We discuss the heterogeneously catalysed hydrogenation, as well as the photocatalytic and electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to hydrocarbons or oxygenates. Various sources of hydrogen are also reviewed in terms of their CO2 neutrality. Technologies have been developed for large-scale CO2 hydrogenation to methanol or methane. Their industrial application is, however, limited by the high price of renewable hydrogen and the availability of large-volume sources of pure CO2. With regard to the direct electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• AV
  Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
• KN
  Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen
• UO
  University of Twente
• NO
  Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
• UR
  Universität Rostock
• L
  Leibniz-Gemeinschaft

  Award: SAW-2011-LIKAT-2