Photocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol: Carbonaceous Materials, Kinetics, Industrial Feasibility, and Future Directions

Photocatalytic carbondioxide reduction (PCCR) for methanol synthesis(CH3OH) targeting renewable energy resources is an attractiveway to create a sustainable environment and also balance the carbon-neutralseries. The application of PCCR to methanol enables the generationof solar energy while reducing CO2, killing two birds withone stone in terms of energy and the environment. In recent years,research on CO2 utilization has focused on hydrogenationof CO2 to methanol due to global warming. This articlemainly focuses on selective carbonaceous materials such as graphene,mesoporous carbon, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as catalysts for heterogeneousphotocatalytic CO2 reduction to methanol. In addition,special emphasis will be placed on the state of the art of PCCR catalystsas this type of research will be of great benefit for further developmentin this field. The main features of the reaction kinetics, techno-economicstudy, and current technological developments in PCCR are coveredin detail.