Technologies of CO2 Reduction to Fuels in the Background of “Carbon Neutrality”: Current Status, Analytic Comparison and Future Prospect

Abstract

In the background of carbon neutrality, the reduction of CO2 to fuel is a promising and valuable win-win technology that both reduces carbon dioxide emissions which is a major factor in the greenhouse effect and solves the energy crisis of the constant consumption of fossil fuels, enabling a carbon-neutral cycle and sustainable development. This article outlines and categorizes the current research progress and barriers and future perspectives of the main carbon dioxide conversion technologies of enzymatic, electrochemical, and photochemical catalysis, respectively, and introduces the technologies of them in which the products can be used as/converted into fuels (procedures, catalyst synthesis method, efficiency and yield, the corresponding principle and the product for fuel use), then analyzes and compares these technologies including advantages and disadvantages. It is found that although the current carbon dioxide conversion technology has made great achievements, modified enzymes, improved multi-enzyme systems, nanostructures, composite copper electrodes, co-photocatalysts, etc., have played an important role. However, poor product selectivity, poor catalyst stability, low reaction rate, high cost, etc., are still existing problems. Finally, the prospects of CO2-to-fuel technology from technical, economic and policy aspects are presented in this paper to better apply in large-scale industry and commerce.