Open AccessTowards Solar Methanol: Past, Present, and Future
Author(s) -
Tountas Athanasios A.,
Peng Xinyue,
Tavasoli Alexandra V.,
Duchesne Paul N.,
Dingle Thomas L.,
Dong Yuchan,
Hurtado Lourdes,
Mohan Abhinav,
Sun Wei,
Ulmer Ulrich,
Wang Lu,
Wood Thomas E.,
Maravelias Christos T.,
Sain Mohini M.,
Ozin Geoffrey A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.201801903
Subject(s) - renewable energy , context (archaeology) , raw material , process engineering , greenhouse gas , photovoltaic system , environmental science , sustainability , solar energy , syngas , waste management , biochemical engineering , engineering , chemistry , catalysis , paleontology , ecology , organic chemistry , electrical engineering , biology , biochemistry
This work aims to provide an overview of producing value‐added products affordably and sustainably from greenhouse gases (GHGs). Methanol (MeOH) is one such product, and is one of the most widely used chemicals, employed as a feedstock for ≈30% of industrial chemicals. The starting materials are analogous to those feeding natural processes: water, CO 2 , and light. Innovative technologies from this effort have global significance, as they allow GHG recycling, while providing society with a renewable carbon feedstock. Light, in the form of solar energy, assists the production process in some capacity. Various solar strategies of continually increasing technology readiness levels are compared to the commercial MeOH process, which uses a syngas feed derived from natural gas. These strategies include several key technologies, including solar‐thermochemical, photochemical, and photovoltaic–electrochemical. Other solar‐assisted technologies that are not yet commercial‐ready are also discussed. The commercial‐ready technologies are compared using a technoeconomic analysis, and the scalability of solar reactors is also discussed in the context of light‐incorporating catalyst architectures and designs. Finally, how MeOH compares against other prospective products is briefly discussed, as well as the viability of the most promising solar MeOH strategy in an international context.