A review of the catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide into value-added hydrocarbons

Abstract

Chemical utilization of CO₂ to chemicals and fuels is very attractive because it can not only alleviate global warming caused by increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration but also offer a solution to replace dwindling fossil fuels. Hydrogen is a high-energy material and can be used as the reagent for CO₂ transformation. Moreover, when hydrogen originates directly from renewable energy, CO₂ hydrogenation can also provide an important approach for dealing with the intermittence of renewable sources by storing energy in chemicals and fuels. Therefore, much attention has been paid to CO₂ hydrogenation to various value-added hydrocarbons, such as lower olefins, liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, aromatics and so on. The focus of this perspective article is on the indirect and direct routes for production of hydrocarbons from CO₂ hydrogenation and recent developments in catalyst design, catalytic performance and reaction mechanism. In addition, a brief overview on CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol is given, which is a critical process in the indirect route involving conversion of CO₂ into methanol and subsequent transformation into hydrocarbons. We also provide an overview of the challenges in and opportunities for future research associated with CO₂ hydrogenation to value-added hydrocarbons.