Sustainable methanol production from carbon dioxide: advances, challenges, and future prospects.

The urgent need to address global carbon emissions and promote sustainable energy solutions has led to a growing interest in carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion technologies. Among these, the transformation of CO2 into methanol (MeOH) has gained prominence as an effective mitigation strategy. This review paper provides a comprehensive exploration of recent advances and applications in the direct utilization of CO2 for the synthesis of MeOH, encompassing various aspects from catalysts to market analysis, environmental impact, and future prospects. We begin by introducing the current state of CO2 mitigation strategies, highlighting the significance of carbon recycling through MeOH production. The paper delves into the chemistry and technology behind the conversion of CO2 into MeOH, encompassing key themes such as feedstock selection, material and energy supply, and the various conversion processes, including chemical, electrochemical, photochemical, and photoelectrochemical pathways. An in-depth analysis of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts for MeOH synthesis is provided, shedding light on the advantages and drawbacks of each. Furthermore, we explore diverse routes for CO2 hydrogenation into MeOH, emphasizing the technological advances and production processes associated with this sustainable transformation. As MeOH holds a pivotal role in a wide range of chemical applications and emerges as a promising transportation fuel, the paper explores its various chemical uses, transportation, storage, and distribution, as well as the evolving MeOH market. The environmental and energy implications of CO2 conversion to MeOH are discussed, including a thermodynamic analysis of the process and cost and energy evaluations for large-scale catalytic hydrogenation.

Electrochemical impedance based chiral analysis of anti-ascorbutic drug: l-Ascorbic acid and d-ascorbic acid using C-dots decorated conductive polymer nano-composite electrode.

Clinical manifestations owing to l-ascorbic acid for scurvy as comparison to d-ascorbic acid and challenges of chiral purity are overcome by using chiral selective conductive polymer nanocomposite which mimics antibodies and enzymes. A novel chiral selective imprinted polyaniline-ferrocene-sulfonic acid film has been electrochemically fabricated on C-dots modified pencil graphite electrode. The performance of the obtained l-ascorbic acid or d-ascorbic acid chiral selective sensor was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry. The surface characteristics of the C-dots, chiral sensor before and after the de-doping of chiral d- and l-ascorbic acid were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. Excellent recognition results were obtained by difference in electron transfer resistance. The proposed chiral sensor is capable of measuring d-ascorbic acid or l-ascorbic acid in aqueous as well as in real and commercial samples within the range of 0.020-0.187 nM and 0.003-0.232 nM with detection limit of 0.00073 nM and 0.00016 nM, respectively. The proposed method has also been examined for the chiral selective recognition of ascorbic acid isomers (d- and l-) quantitatively, in complicated matrices of real samples.

Electrochemically grown imprinted polybenzidine nanofilm on multiwalled carbon nanotubes anchored pencil graphite fibers for enantioselective micro-solid phase extraction coupled with ultratrace sensing of d- and l-methionine.

An alternative method is presented for the modification of pencil graphite fibers using surface imprinting technology. In this new approach, we have adopted surface initiated electropolymerization of benzidine monomer, with simultaneous imprinting of template (d- and l-methionine), on carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes anchored pencil graphite fiber. This yielded a nanostructured ultrathin imprinted film (58.3nm) uniformly coated all along the perimeter and length of pencil graphite fiber, for micro-solid phase extraction with substantial adsorption capability. The same film is coated over the exposed tip of the pencil graphite fiber to serve as a complementary molecularly imprinted polymer-sensor. Both extraction and sensing devices are not capable to measure the stringent limit (0.016ngmL(-1)) of clinical detection of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutation caused by acute methionine depletion, when used alone. However, on combination of both techniques, a successful enantioselective analysis of d- and l-methionine with excellent analytical figures of merit [limit of quantitation range: 0.03-30.00ngmL(-1), limit of detection: 0.0098ngmL(-1) (RSD=2.04, S/N=3)] could be achieved without any problem of non-specific false-positive contribution and cross-reactivity, in real samples.