The production of high-demand chemical commodities such as ethylene and propylene (methanol-to-olefins), hydrocarbons (methanol-to-hydrocarbons), gasoline (methanol-to-gasoline) and aromatics (methanol-to-aromatics) from methanol—obtainable from alternative feedstocks, such as carbon dioxide, biomass, waste or natural gas through the intermediate formation of synthesis gas—has been central to research in both academia and industry. Although discovered in the late 1970s, this catalytic technology has only been industrially implemented over the past decade, with a number of large commercial plants already operating in Asia. However, as is the case for other technologies, industrial maturity is not synonymous with full understanding. For this reason, research is still intense and a number of important discoveries have been reported over the last few years. In this review, we summarize the most recent advances in mechanistic understanding—including direct C–C bond formation during the induction period and the promotional effect of zeolite topology and acidity on the alkene cycle—and correlate these insights to practical aspects in terms of catalyst design and engineering.

用甲醇生产高需求的化学商品，例如乙烯和丙烯（甲醇到烯烃），碳氢化合物（甲醇到碳氢化合物），汽油（甲醇到汽油）和芳烃（甲醇到芳香族化合物），通过中间形成的合成气可从二氧化碳，生物质，废料或天然气等替代原料中获得，一直是学术界和工业界研究的重点。尽管这种催化技术是在1970年代后期发现的，但仅在过去的十年中才在工业上得到应用，许多大型商业工厂已在亚洲运营。但是，就像其他技术一样，工业成熟度并不是完全理解的代名词。为此原因，研究仍很激烈，并且在过去几年中已报告了许多重要发现。在这篇综述中，我们总结了机械学理解的最新进展，包括在诱导期直接形成碳键，以及沸石拓扑结构和酸度对烯烃循环的促进作用，并将这些见解与催化剂方面的实际应用联系起来。设计和工程。