Challenges in the Greener Production of Formates/Formic Acid, Methanol, and DME by Heterogeneously Catalyzed CO2 Hydrogenation Processes

Andrea Álvarez; Atul Bansode; Atsushi Urakawa; Anastasiya V Bavykina; Tim A Wezendonk; Michiel Makkee; Jorge Gascon; Freek Kapteijn

doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00816

Challenges in the Greener Production of Formates/Formic Acid, Methanol, and DME by Heterogeneously Catalyzed CO₂ Hydrogenation Processes

Chem Rev. 2017 Jul 26;117(14):9804-9838. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00816. Epub 2017 Jun 28.

Authors

Andrea Álvarez¹, Atul Bansode¹, Atsushi Urakawa¹, Anastasiya V Bavykina², Tim A Wezendonk², Michiel Makkee², Jorge Gascon², Freek Kapteijn²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Avinguda dels Països Catalans 16, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
² Catalysis Engineering, Chemical Engineering Department, Delft University of Technology , Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands.

Abstract

The recent advances in the development of heterogeneous catalysts and processes for the direct hydrogenation of CO₂ to formate/formic acid, methanol, and dimethyl ether are thoroughly reviewed, with special emphasis on thermodynamics and catalyst design considerations. After introducing the main motivation for the development of such processes, we first summarize the most important aspects of CO₂ capture and green routes to produce H₂. Once the scene in terms of feedstocks is introduced, we carefully summarize the state of the art in the development of heterogeneous catalysts for these important hydrogenation reactions. Finally, in an attempt to give an order of magnitude regarding CO₂ valorization, we critically assess economical aspects of the production of methanol and DME and outline future research and development directions.