Carbon dioxide: A raw material and a future chemical fuel for a sustainable energy industry

Abstract

Carbon dioxide is a major raw material of the future, for the capture plants which use amines, aminoacids, ammonia or zeolites. This very high purity raw material (99.9 %) opens the way of a new industrial revolution in agreement with the proposal of Nobel Prize laureates and the DOE strategy. Our goal is to explain the large advantages and the main routes for CO2 valorization, which are starting around the world. The most promising ways for this valorization are methanol synthesis as fuel for transportation and methane formation for electricity network regulation. The first way allows the use of liquid fuels, as distribution infrastructure already exists; instead of gaseous fuels (H2), for which there is storage, distribution problems and no infrastructure exist. The second way is methane synthesis during off-peak hours and burning of this methane during peak hours in order to regulate the electric network.