Electrochemical CO2 Conversion toward Sustainable Methanol Production: Experimental Considerations and Outlook

To achieve a sustainable future, the electrification of the chemical manufacturing industry is crucial. The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) offers a promising pathway to produce value-added chemicals and fuels, including methanol─a key chemical building block and energy carrier. This approach presents a carbon-neutral alternative to conventional, fossil fuel-based methanol production. However, replacing well-established thermochemical processes and achieving cost-competitive production requires the development of highly efficient and selective catalysts for CO2-to-methanol conversion, as well as systematic device-level optimization. In this Perspective, we discuss the potential of methanol production via CO2RR and provide an overview of recent advances in catalyst development. We also propose experimental protocols for methanol quantification, emphasizing the critical need for rigorous evaluation of catalysts to ensure the validity and reproducibility of results, and demonstrating boron phosphide as an irreproducible case. We review seminal studies on CO2RR by cobalt phthalocyanine to make methanol, and current understanding of the reaction mechanistic details. Lastly, we discuss the challenges associated with its translation into practical devices and outline future research opportunities to advance electrochemical CO2RR for methanol production at scale.