Efficient and selective conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol, dimethyl ether and derived products

An environmentally beneficial method of reducing the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere by recycling carbon dioxide and producing methanol using a reductive conversion of an available source of carbon dioxide that is present in or would otherwise be discharged into the atmosphere, which method comprises:

• (A) reducing the carbon dioxide under conditions sufficient to produce a reaction mixture containing formic acid with concomittant formation of formaldehyde and small amounts of methanol and methane, followed, without separation of the reaction mixture, by a treatment step conducted under conditions sufficient to convert the formaldehyde to formic acid and methanol;
• or
• (B) augmenting the reaction mixture of (A) by reacting the formaldehyde with some of the formic acid as a hydrogen source, without separation of the reaction mixture, into methanol, and by reacting some of the formic acid with methanol to form methyl formate, followed by catalytically hydrogenating the methyl formate under conditions sufficient to form methanol;
• or
• (C) generating carbon monoxide from the carbon dioxide through a high temperature reaction with carbon, reacting the carbon monoxide with methanol produced in (A) under conditions sufficient to form methyl formate, followed by catalytic hydrogenation of the methyl formate under conditions sufficient to form methanol.