Converting CO2 to methanol is one way to put CO2 to good use. In research published today in Science, chemical engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute demonstrated how to make that conversion process from CO2 to methanol more efficient by using a highly effective separation membrane they produced. 
https://scitechdaily.com/transforming-carbon-dioxide-to-into-fuel-more-efficiently-with-a-water-conducting-membrane/
This breakthrough, the researchers said, could improve a number of industry processes that depend on chemical reactions where water is a byproduct.