Carbon Dioxide Hydrogenation into Higher Hydrocarbons and Oxygenates: Thermodynamic and Kinetic Bounds and Progress with Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Catalysis

Under specific scenarios, the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 with renewable hydrogen is considered a suitable route for the chemical recycling of this environmentally harmful and chemically refractory molecule into added-value energy carriers and chemicals. The hydrogenation of CO2 into C-1 products, such as methane and methanol, can be achieved with high selectivities towards the corresponding hydrogenation product. More challenging, however, is the selective production of high (C2+) hydrocarbons and oxygenates. These products are desired as energy vectors, owing to their higher volumetric energy density and compatibility with the current fuel infrastructure than C-1 compounds, and as entry platform chemicals for existing value chains. The major challenge is the optimal integration of catalytic functionalities for both reductive and chain-growth steps. This Minireview summarizes the progress achieved towards the hydrogenation of CO2 to C2+ hydrocarbons and oxygenates, covering both solid and molecular catalysts and processes in the gas and liquid phases. Mechanistic aspects are discussed with emphasis on intrinsic kinetic limitations, in some cases inevitably linked to thermodynamic bounds through the concomitant reverse water-gas-shift reaction, which should be considered in the development of advanced catalysts and processes.