Comparison of CO2 Photoreduction Systems: A Review

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions are a major contributor to the climate change equation, and thus strategies need to be developed in order to reduce increases in CO 2 levels in the atmosphere. One of the most promising approaches is to convert CO 2 into useful products in engineered processes. The photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 into hydrocarbon fuels is a promising way to recycle CO 2 as a fuel feedstock by taking advantage of the readily available solar energy. This article reviews the basics of CO 2 photoreduction mechanisms, limiting steps, possible strategies to enhance photoreduction efficiency, and the state-of-the-art photocatalytic systems for CO 2 reduction. In particular, a comparison between different catalytic systems, including biological (plants and algae), inorganics (semiconductors), organics (molecular complexes), and hybrid (enzyme/semiconductors) systems is provided.

Photoreduction of CO2 on ZIF-8/TiO2 nanocomposites in a gaseous photoreactor under pressure swing

“…Some of the strategies to address these issues are to tune the CO2 surface interaction with photocatalyst to increase reactant loading, and to alter CO2 molecule geometry via surface chemistry interactions for reactions to proceed and for products to be desorbed from reactive sites. From catalyst design and selection viewpoints, metal organic frameworks (MOF) have been considered as an excellent catalyst support system due to their high capacity to capture and reduce CO2 [7]. Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) are a subclass of MOFs featuring excellent CO2 uptake and simple fabrication.…”

Toward quantitative analysis of water-energy-urban-climate nexus for urban adaptation planning

“…One direction is to decouple water and carbon footprints or minimize their negative interactions, mostly through innovative energy production pathways, energy-saving and energy-harvesting water management processes. Wang et al [80 ] reviewed the fundamental sciences of nanomaterial-based photocatalytic reductions of converting CO 2 into hydrocarbon fuels, and identified potential technological pathways. Several strategies (e.g., semiconductor of specific electronic properties, nanoparticle design of novel morphologies) may potentially improve the conversion efficiency to an extent to which practical process engineering can be achieved at production scales.…”

High Pressure Photoreduction of CO₂: Effect of Catalyst Formulation, Hole Scavenger Addition and Operating Conditions

“…The most interesting methods attempt the conversion of CO2 into other useful compounds, e.g. regenerated fuels or chemicals, through chemical reactions [2], catalytic [3] and photocatalytic processes [4].…”