Catalysis Beyond Fossil Carbon: Transforming CO₂ into Valuable Chemicals

The transition toward more sustainable chemical processes has promoted the development of catalytic technologies capable of using CO₂ as an alternative carbon source to produce fuels and value-added chemicals. In this context, the combination of CO₂ and renewable H₂ represents promising pathway for the synthesis of oxygenates and hydrocarbon products within future carbon-circular chemical schemes.

This contribution will address catalytic systems for CO₂ hydrogenation and tandem conversion processes involving methanol as a key reaction intermediate. Unsupported bimetallic and intermetallic Ni-based catalysts for methanol production from CO₂ and their combination with modified medium-pore zeolites, integrating metallic, acidic, and shape-selective functionalities will be examined. The role of metal-modified zeolites in methanol-to-hydrocarbon and methanol-to-aromatics reactions for the selective production of olefins and aromatic compounds will also be discussed.

Special emphasis will be placed on the influence of catalyst structure, acid-metal balance, and active site distribution on catalytic activity, selectivity, stability, and coke formation. In addition, the evaluation of the different stages involved in the tandem process, including methanol synthesis over Ni-containing intermetallic catalysts and the subsequent hydrocarbon-forming reactions over metal-modified medium-pore zeolites, will be evaluated. Transient experiments together with in situ characterization techniques will be employed to gain insight into reaction pathways, catalyst evolution, and the factors governing product distribution.

Finally, different strategies for the integration of catalytic functionalities into tandem processes for the direct conversion of CO₂ into hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds will be discussed from both catalytic and process perspectives. The contribution aims to provide insights into the design of intensified catalytic systems capable of improving carbon utilization, product selectivity and process efficiency toward future industrial implementation.