No abstract

CO 2 hydrogenation can lead to the formation of various products, of which methanol, dimethyl ether (DME) and ethanol have received great attention. In this study, a comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of CO 2 hydrogenation in binary (methanol/CO) and ternary product systems (methanol/CO with DME or ethanol) is conducted in Aspen Plus by the Gibbs free energy minimization method combined with phase equilibrium calculations. It is demonstrated that product condensation can be utilized to circumvent thermodynamic restrictions on product yield. Significant improvements in CO 2 conversion can be achieved by operating at conditions favorable for product condensation, whereas the selectivity is mildly affected. The relevance of the results herein is discussed with regards to recent advances in catalysis and process design for CO 2 hydrogenation. Our study highlights the importance of obtaining a thorough understanding of the thermodynamics of CO 2 hydrogenation processes, which will be critical for developing potential breakthrough technology applicable at the industrial scale.

No abstract

No abstract

CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol is a promising environmental-friendly route for combatting CO 2 emissions. Methanol can be used to produce a variety of chemicals and is also an alternative fuel. The CO 2-tomethanol process is mostly studied over multi-component catalysts in which both metal and oxide phases are present. The difficulty in elucidating the influence of the different phases on the catalytic performance has led to intense debate about the nature of the active site. Consequently, the main stumbling blocks in developing rational design strategies are the complexity of the multi-component catalytic systems and challenges in elucidating the active sites. In this paper, we reviewed the most promising catalyst systems for the industrial CO 2-to-methanol processes. Firstly, the copper-based catalysts are discussed. The focus is on the debate regarding the promotional effect of zinc, as well as other metal oxides typically employed to enhance the performance of copper-based catalysts. Other catalytic systems are then covered, which are mainly based on palladium and indium. Alloying and metal-metal oxide interaction also play a significant role in the hydrogenation of CO 2 to methanol over these catalysts. The purpose of this work is to give insight into these complex catalytic systems that can be utilized for advanced catalyst synthesis for the industrial CO 2-to-methanol process.