Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the iconic greenhouse gas and the major factor driving present global climate change, incentivizing its capture and recycling into valuable products and fuels. The 6H⁺/6e⁻ reduction of CO₂ affords CH₃OH, a key compound that is a fuel and a platform molecule. In this Review, we compare different routes for CO₂ reduction to CH₃OH, namely, heterogeneous and homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation, as well as enzymatic catalysis, photocatalysis and electrocatalysis. We describe the leading catalysts and the conditions under which they operate, and then consider their advantages and drawbacks in terms of selectivity, productivity, stability, operating conditions, cost and technical readiness. At present, heterogeneous hydrogenation catalysis and electrocatalysis have the greatest promise for large-scale CO₂ reduction to CH₃OH. The availability and price of sustainable electricity appear to be essential prerequisites for efficient CH₃OH synthesis.

二氧化碳 (CO ₂ ) 是标志性的温室气体，也是推动当前全球气候变化的主要因素，促使其被捕获并回收成有价值的产品和燃料。CO ₂的6H ⁺ /6e ^-还原得到 CH ₃ OH，这是一种关键化合物，是燃料和平台分子。在这篇综述中，我们比较了将 CO ₂还原为 CH _{3的不同途径}OH，即多相和均相催化加氢，以及酶催化、光催化和电催化。我们描述了领先的催化剂及其运行条件，然后考虑了它们在选择性、生产率、稳定性、操作条件、成本和技术准备方面的优缺点。_{目前，非均相加氢催化和电催化最有希望将CO 2}大规模还原为CH ₃ OH。可持续电力的可用性和价格似乎是高效 CH ₃ OH 合成的必要先决条件。