R&D activities in Japan on methanol synthesis from CO2 and H2

Methanol synthesis from CO₂ and H₂ can be a useful process for conversion and transportation of hydrogen energy derived from non-fossil energies. More than ten research groups in Japan have extensively investigated the methanol synthesis from both academic and practical points of view. Recent R&D activities in Japan for developing high performance catalysts, for elucidating the reaction mechanism and also for operating a bench scale plant have been reviewed in this paper.