Electrolysis of carbon dioxide in aqueous media to carbon monoxide and hydrogen for production of methanol

An environmentally beneficial method of producing methanol by recycling and reductive conversion of any available source of carbon dioxide, which comprises:

• providing a divided electrochemical cell comprising an anode in a first cell compartment, a metal cathode electrode in a second cell compartment containing an aqueous solution comprising methanol or water, and an anion-conducting membrane in contact with the anode and cathode;
• recycling carbon dioxide from an existing source into the second cell compartment;
• electrochemically reducing the recycled carbon dioxide and solution by the cathode in the second cell compartment to produce therein a reaction mixture containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas in a ratio of 1:2 to 1:2.1;
• obtaining the carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas of the reaction mixture from the second cell compartment;
• directly reacting the reaction mixture in the presence of a catalyst to produce methanol in a high yield of at least 60% while also producing oxygen in the first cell compartment at the anode;
• and
• obtaining the oxygen produced at the anode and forwarding it for more efficient combustion of fossil fuels in power plants to exclusively produce clean CO2 exhausts to benefit the environment by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide.