On the hydrogenation of CO and CO2 over copper/zirconia and palladium/zirconia catalysts

Summary Zirconia-supported hydrogenation catalysts were obtained by activation of the amorphous precursors Cu₇₀Zr₃₀ and Pd₂₅Zr₇₅ under CO₂ hydrogenation conditions. Catalysts of comparable compositions prepared by co-precipitation and wet impregnation of zirconia with copper- and palladium salts, respectively, served as reference materials. The catalyst surfaces under reaction conditions were investigated by diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy. Carbonates, formate, formaldehyde, methylate and methanol were identified as the pivotal surface species. The appearance and surface concentrations of these species were correlated with the presence of CO₂ and CO as reactant gases, and with the formation of either methane or methanol as reaction products. Two major pathways have been identified from the experimental results. i) The reaction of CO₂/H₂-mixtures on Cu/zirconia and Pd/zirconia primarily yields surface formate, which is hydrogenated to methane without further observable intermediates. ii) The catalytic reaction between CO and hydrogen yields -bonded formaldehyde, which is subsequently reduced to methylate and methanol. Interestingly, there is no observable correlation between absorbed formaldehyde or methylate on the one hand, and gas phase methane on the other hand. The reactants, CO₂ and CO, can be interconverted catalytically by the water gas shift reaction. The influence of the metals on this system of coupled reactions gives rise to different product selectivities in CO₂ hydrogenation reactions. On zirconia-supported palladium catalysts, surface formate is efficiently reduced to methane, which consequently appears to be the principal CO₂ hydrogenation product. In contrast, there is a favorable reaction pathway on copper in which CO is reduced to methanol without C-O bond cleavage; surface formate does not participate significantly in this reaction. In CO₂ hydrogenations on copper/zirconia, methanol can be obtained as the main product, from a sequence of the reverse water gas shift reaction followed by CO reduction.     

Xylene Synthesis Through Tandem CO2 Hydrogenation and Toluene Methylation Over a Composite ZnZrO Zeolite Catalyst

Selective synthesis of specific value-added aromatics from CO₂ hydrogenation is of paramount interest for mitigating energy and climate problems caused by CO₂ emission. Herein, we report a highly active composite catalyst of ZnZrO and HZSM-5 (ZZO/Z5-SG) for xylene synthesis from CO₂ hydrogenation via a coupling reaction in the presence of toluene, achieving a xylene selectivity of 86.5 % with CO₂ conversion of 10.5 %. A remarkably high space time yield of xylene could reach 215 mg g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹, surpassing most reported catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation. The enhanced performance of ZZO/Z5-SG could be due to high dispersion and abundant oxygen vacancies of the ZZO component for CO₂ adsorption, more feasible hydrogen activation and transfer due to the close interaction between the two components, and enhanced stability of the formate intermediate. The consumption of methoxy and methanol from the deep hydrogenation of formate by introduced toluene also propels an oriented conversion of CO₂.     

First-Principles Microkinetic Study of Methanol Synthesis on Cu(221) and ZnCu(221) Surfaces

First-principle based microkinetic simulations are performed to investigate methanol synthesis from CO and CO₂ on Cu(221) and CuZn(221) surfaces. It is found that regardless of surface structure, the carbon consumption rate follows the order:CO hydrogenation > CO/CO₂ hydrogenation > CO₂ hydrogenation. The superior CO hydrogenation activity mainly arises from the lower barriers of elementary reactions than CO₂ hydrogenation. Compared to Cu(221), the introduction of Zn greatly lowers the activity of methanol synthesis, in particularly for CO hydrogenation. For a mixed CO/CO₂ hydrogenation, CO acts as the carbon source on Cu(221) while both CO and CO₂ contribute to carbon conversion on CuZn(221). The degree of rate control studies show that the key steps that determine the reaction activity of CO/CO₂ hydrogenation are HCO and HCOO hydrogenation on Cu(221), instead of HCOOH hydrogenation on CuZn(221). The present work highlights the effect of the Zn doping and feed gas composition on methanol synthesis.     

Methanol‐Assisted Autocatalysis in Catalytic Methanol Synthesis

Catalytic methanol synthesis is one of the major processes in the chemical industry and may grow in importance, as methanol produced from CO₂ and sustainably derived H₂ are envisioned to play an important role as energy carriers in a future low‐CO₂‐emission society. However, despite the widespread use, the reaction mechanism and the nature of the active sites are not fully understood. Here we report that methanol synthesis at commercially applied conditions using the industrial Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst is dominated by a methanol‐assisted autocatalytic reaction mechanism. We propose that the presence of methanol enables the hydrogenation of surface formate via methyl formate. Autocatalytic acceleration of the reaction is also observed for Cu supported on SiO₂ although with low absolute activity, but not for Cu/Al₂O₃ catalysts. The results illustrate an important example of autocatalysis in heterogeneous catalysis and pave the way for further understanding, improvements, and process optimization of industrial methanol synthesis.     

A quasi-stable molybdenum sub-oxide with abundant oxygen vacancies that promotes CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

Production of methanol from anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a promising chemical process that can alleviate both the environmental burden and the dependence on fossil fuels. In catalytic CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, reduction of CO₂ to intermediate species is generally considered to be a crucial step. It is of great significance to design and develop advanced heterogeneous catalysts and to engineer the surface structures to promote CO₂-to-methanol conversion. We herein report an oxygen-defective molybdenum sub-oxide coupled with Pt nanoparticles (Pt/H_xMoO_3−y) which affords high methanol yield with a methanol formation rate of 1.53 mmol g_-cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ in liquid-phase CO₂ hydrogenation under relatively mild reaction conditions (total 4.0 MPa, 200 °C), outperforming other oxide-supported Pt catalysts in terms of both the yield and selectivity for methanol. Experiments and comprehensive analyses including in situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that both abundant surface oxygen vacancies (V_O) and the redox ability of Mo species in quasi-stable H_xMoO_3−y confer the catalyst with enhanced adsorption and activation capability to subsequently transform CO₂ to methanol. Moreover, the Pt NPs act as H₂ dissociation sites to regenerate oxygen vacancies and as hydrogenation sites for the CO intermediate to finally afford methanol. Based on the experimental and computational studies, an oxygen-vacancy-mediated “reverse Mars–van Krevelen (M–vK)” mechanism is proposed. This study affords a new strategy for the design and development of an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for CO₂ conversion.

Oxygen-defective molybdenum sub-oxide coupled with Pt nanoparticles affords high methanol yield in liquid-phase CO₂ hydrogenation via reverse Mars–van Krevelen mechanism.     

Methanol Synthesis by co2 Hydrogenation over Titanium Modified γ -al2o3 Supported Copper Catalysts

A titanium-modified . -Al₂ O₃ supported copper catalyst has been prepared and used for methanol synthesis by CO₂ hydrogenation. The addition of Ti to the CuO/. -Al₂ O₃ catalyst enhances the activity in CO₂ hydrogenation greatly and makes the copper in the catalyst exist in much smaller crystallites. The effect of contact time on the relative selectivity ( 6 CH₃OH /SCO ) and selectivity of methanol was also investigated. The results indicated that methanol was formed directly from the hydrogenation of CO₂ .     

负载型CuO/TiO2催化剂催化CO2加氢制甲醇

采用浸渍法制备了CuO/TiO₂负载型催化剂,并将其用于CO₂加氢制甲醇反应。重点考察了铜的负载量对催化剂性能的影响,并对其物化性能和催化性能之间的关系进行了讨论。结果发现,随着铜负载量的增加,催化剂中金属铜的比表面先增加后减小,当铜的负载量为10%（质量百分数）时达到最大值。催化剂的表面碱性位数量随铜含量的增加持续减小,中等碱位和强碱位的强度下降。当铜的负载量不高于10%时,CO₂的转化率与铜的比表面积呈线性关系。甲醇选择性与催化剂的表面碱位性质有关,过强的碱性位会降低甲醇选择性。     

Hydrogenation of CO2‐Derived Carbonates and Polycarbonates to Methanol and Diols by Metal–Ligand Cooperative Manganese Catalysis

The first base‐metal‐catalysed hydrogenation of CO₂‐derived carbonates to alcohols is presented. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions in the presence of a well‐defined manganese complex with a loading as low as 0.25 mol %. The non‐precious‐metal homogenous catalytic system provides an indirect route for the conversion of CO₂ into methanol with the co‐production of value‐added (vicinal) diols in yields of up to 99 %. Experimental and computational studies indicate a metal–ligand cooperative catalysis mechanism.     

负载型CuO/TiO2催化剂催化CO2加氢制甲醇

采用浸渍法制备了CuO/TiO_2负载型催化剂,并将其用于CO2加氢制甲醇反应。重点考察了铜的负载量对催化剂性能的影响,并对其物化性能和催化性能之间的关系进行了讨论。结果发现,随着铜负载量的增加,催化剂中金属铜的比表面先增加后减小,当铜的负载量为10%(质量百分数)时达到最大值。催化剂的表面碱性位数量随铜含量的增加持续减小,中等碱位和强碱位的强度下降。当铜的负载量不高于10%时,CO2的转化率与铜的比表面积呈线性关系。甲醇选择性与催化剂的表面碱位性质有关,过强的碱性位会降低甲醇选择性。     

Characterization and Activity of Cu‐MnOx/γ‐Al2O3 Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide

The effect of manganese on the dispersion, reduction behavior and active states of surface of supported copper oxide catalysts have been investigated by XRD, temperature‐programmed reduction and XPS. The activity of methanol synthesis from CO₂/H₂ was also investigated. The catalytic activity over CuO‐MnO_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst for CO₂ hydrogenation is higher than that of CuO/γ‐Al₂O₃. The adding of manganese is beneficial in enhancing the dispersion of the supported copper oxide and make the TPR peak of the CuO‐MnK_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst different from the individual supported copper and manganese oxide catalysts, which indicates that there exists strong interaction between the copper and manganese oxide. For the CuO/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst there are two reducible copper oxide species; α and β peaks are attributed to the reduction of highly dispersed copper oxide species and bulk CuO species, respectively. For the CuO‐MnO_x/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalyst, four reduction peaks are observed, α peak is attributed to the dispersed copper oxide species; β peak is ascribed to the bulk CuO; γ peak is attributed to the reduction of high dispersed CuO interacting with manganese; δ peak may be the reduction of the manganese oxide interacting with copper oxide. XPS results show that Cu⁺ mostly existed on the working surface of the Cu‐Mn/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalysts. The activity was promoted by Cu with positive charge which was formed by means of long path exchange function between Cu? O? Mn. These results indicate that there is synergistic interaction between the copper and manganese oxide, which is responsible for the high activity of CO₂ hydrogenation.     

From Solar Energy to Fuels: Recent Advances in Light‐Driven C1 Chemistry

Catalytic C₁ chemistry based on the activation/conversion of synthesis gas (CO+H₂), methane, carbon dioxide, and methanol offers great potential for the sustainable development of hydrocarbon fuels to replace oil, coal, and natural gas. Traditional thermal catalytic processes used for C₁ transformations require high temperatures and pressures, thereby carrying a significant carbon footprint. In comparison, solar‐driven C₁ catalysis offers a greener and more sustainable pathway for manufacturing fuels and other commodity chemicals, although conversion efficiencies are currently too low to justify industry investment. In this Review, we highlight recent advances and milestones in light‐driven C₁ chemistry, including solar Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, the water‐gas‐shift reaction, CO₂ hydrogenation, as well as methane and methanol conversion reactions. Particular emphasis is placed on the rational design of catalysts, structure–reactivity relationships, as well as reaction mechanisms. Strategies for scaling up solar‐driven C₁ processes are also discussed.     

Electrocatalytic Production of C3‐C4 Compounds by Conversion of CO2 on a Chloride‐Induced Bi‐Phasic Cu2O‐Cu Catalyst

Electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) has recently received considerable attention as one of the most feasible CO₂ utilization techniques. In particular, copper and copper‐derived catalysts have exhibited the ability to produce a number of organic molecules from CO₂. Herein, we report a chloride (Cl)‐induced bi‐phasic cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) and metallic copper (Cu) electrode (Cu₂O_Cl) as an efficient catalyst for the formation of high‐carbon organic molecules by CO₂ conversion, and identify the origin of electroselectivity toward the formation of high‐carbon organic compounds. The Cu₂O_Cl electrocatalyst results in the preferential formation of multi‐carbon fuels, including n‐propanol and n‐butane C3–C4 compounds. We propose that the remarkable electrocatalytic conversion behavior is due to the favorable affinity between the reaction intermediates and the catalytic surface.     

The catalytic performance of different promoted iron catalysts on combined supports Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> for carbon dioxide hydrogenation

Global warming, fossil fuel depletion and fuel price increases have motivated scientists to search for methods for the storage and reduction of the amount of greenhouse gases, especially CO₂. The hydrogenation process has been introduced as an emerging method of CO₂ capture and convertion into value-added products. In this study, new types of catalysts are introduced for CO₂ hydrogenation and are compared based on catalytic activity and product selectivity. The physical properties of the samples are specified using BET. Iron catalysts supported on γ-Al₂O₃ with different metal promoters (X = Ni, K, Mn, Cu) are prepared through the impregnation method. Moreover, Fe–Ni catalysts supported on HZSM5-Al₂O₃ and Ce–Al₂O₃ are synthesized. Samples are reduced by pure H₂ and involved in hydrogenation reaction in a fixed bed reactor (H₂/CO₂ = 3, total pressure = 10 MPa, temperature = 523 K, GHSV = 2000, 1250 nml/min). All catalysts provide high conversion in hydrogenation reactions and the results illustrate that the selectivity of light hydrocarbons is higher than that of methane and CO. It is found that Ni has a promoting effect on the conversion fluctuations throughout the reaction with 66.13% conversion. Using combined supported catalysts leads to enhancing catalytic performance. When Fe–Ni/γ–Al₂O₃—HZSM5 is utilized, CO₂ conversion is 81.66% and the stability of the Fe–Ni catalyst supported on Al₂O₃ and Ce–Al₂O₃ furthey improves.     

Effect of H<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the synthesis of COS using liquid sulfur and CO or CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> as reactants

The synthesis of COS from CO, CO₂ and liquid sulfur in the presence and absence of hydrogen was explored. The reaction of H₂ with liquid sulfur produced H₂S and polysulfanes, which increase the reactivity of liquid sulfur and provide alternative complementary reaction routes for the formation of COS. The reaction from CO₂ proceeds by forming CO as intermediate. Elevated pressure favors formation of COS from both carbon oxides due to the increasing residence time and the saturation of gases in the liquid. Above 350 °C, the solubility of H₂S in sulfur and the hydrogenation of COS limit the conversion of CO. The approach provides a highly efficient method for the preparation of COS under mild reaction conditions, without using a catalyst or water adsorbents.     

Methanol Synthesis at a Wide Range of H2/CO2 Ratios over a Rh‐In Bimetallic Catalyst

There is increasing interest in capturing H₂ generated from renewables with CO₂ to produce methanol. However, renewable hydrogen production is expensive and in limited quantity compared to CO₂. Excess CO₂ and limited H₂ in the feedstock gas is not favorable for CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, causing low activity and poor methanol selectivity. Now, a class of Rh‐In catalysts with optimal adsorption properties to the intermediates of methanol production is presented. The Rh‐In catalyst can effectively catalyze methanol synthesis but inhibit the reverse water‐gas shift reaction under H₂‐deficient gas flow and shows the best competitive methanol productivity under industrially applicable conditions in comparison with reported values. This work demonstrates a strong potential of Rh‐In bimetallic composition, from which a convenient methanol synthesis based on flexible feedstock compositions (such as H₂/CO₂ from biomass derivatives) with lower energy cost can be established.     

Pathways for the Non‐CO‐Involved Oxidation of Methanol on Pt(111)

The non‐CO‐involved oxidation of methanol (NCOIOM) on a Pt(111) surface is investigated by using density functional theory. Relative energy diagrams for the NCOIOM are established in which the reaction mechanisms for a catalytic cycle—including the associated barriers, the reactive energies, the intermediates, and the transient states—are shown. The results indicate that the reaction proceeds via the kinetically favored pathways: A) HCOH→HC(OH)₂→HCOOH→HCOO‐ [‐COOH]→CO₂ and B) CHO→HCOOH→HCOO‐ [‐COOH]→CO₂, with OH playing a key role in the entire process. The vibrational frequencies of the intermediate states derived from the calculations are in agreement with the experimental measurements.     

Conversion of CO2 and C2H6 to Propanoic Acid over a Au‐Exchanged MCM‐22 Zeolite

Finding novel catalysts for the direct conversion of CO₂ to fuels and chemicals is a primary goal in energy and environmental research. In this work, density functional theory (DFT) is used to study possible reaction mechanisms for the conversion of CO₂ and C₂H₆ to propanoic acid over a gold‐exchanged MCM‐22 zeolite catalyst. The reaction begins with the activation of ethane to produce a gold ethyl hydride intermediate. Hydrogen transfers to the framework oxygen leads then to gold ethyl adsorbed on the Brønsted‐acid site. The energy barriers for these steps of ethane activation are 9.3 and 16.3 kcal mol^?1, respectively. Two mechanisms of propanoic acid formation are investigated. In the first one, the insertion of CO₂ into the Au?H bond of the first intermediate yields gold carboxyl ethyl as subsequent intermediate. This is then converted to propanoic acid by forming the relevant C?C bond. The activation energy of the rate‐determining step of this pathway is 48.2 kcal mol^?1. In the second mechanism, CO₂ interacts with gold ethyl adsorbed on the Brønsted‐acid site. Propanoic acid is formed via protonation of CO₂ by the Brønsted acid and the simultaneous formation of a bond between CO₂ and the ethyl group. The activation energy there is 44.2 kcal mol^?1, favoring this second pathway at least at low temperatures. Gold‐exchanged MCM‐22 zeolite can therefore, at least in principle, be used as the catalyst for producing propanoic acid from CO₂ and ethane.     

CO2 Hydrogenation on Cu/Al2O3: Role of the Metal/Support Interface in Driving Activity and Selectivity of a Bifunctional Catalyst

Selective hydrogenation of CO₂ into methanol is a key sustainable technology, where Cu/Al₂O₃ prepared by surface organometallic chemistry displays high activity towards CO₂ hydrogenation compared to Cu/SiO₂, yielding CH₃OH, dimethyl ether (DME), and CO. CH₃OH formation rate increases due to the metal–oxide interface and involves formate intermediates according to advanced spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Al₂O₃ promotes the subsequent conversion of CH₃OH to DME, showing bifunctional catalysis, but also increases the rate of CO formation. The latter takes place 1) directly by activation of CO₂ at the metal–oxide interface, and 2) indirectly by the conversion of formate surface species and CH₃OH to methyl formate, which is further decomposed into CH₃OH and CO. This study shows how Al₂O₃, a Lewis acidic and non‐reducible support, can promote CO₂ hydrogenation by enabling multiple competitive reaction pathways on the oxide and metal–oxide interface.     

A study on methanol steam reforming to CO2 and H2 over the La2CuO4 nanofiber catalyst

The La₂CuO₄ crystal nanofibers were prepared by using single-walled carbon nanotubes as templates under mild hydrothermal conditions. The steam reforming of methanol (SRM) to CO₂ and H₂ over such nanofiber catalysts was studied. At the low temperature of 150 °C and steam/methanol=1.3, methanol was completely (100%, 13.8 g/h g catalyst) converted to hydrogen and CO₂ without the generation of CO. Within the 60 h catalyst lifespan test, methanol conversion was maintained at 98.6% (13.6 g/h g catalyst) and with 100% CO₂ selectivity. In the meantime, for distinguishing the advantage of nanoscale catalyst, the La₂CuO₄ bulk powder was prepared and tested for the SRM reaction for comparison. Compared with the La₂CuO₄ nanofiber, the bulk powder La₂CuO₄ showed worse catalytic activity for the SRM reaction. The 100% conversion of methanol was achieved at the temperature of 400 °C, with the products being H₂ and CO₂ together with CO. The catalytic activity in terms of methanol conversion dropped to 88.7% (12.2 g/h g catalyst) in 60 h. The reduction temperature for nanofiber La₂CuO₄ was much lower than that for the La₂CuO₄ bulk powder. The nanofibers were of higher specific surface area (105.0 m²/g), metal copper area and copper dispersion. The in situ FTIR and EPR experiments were employed to study the catalysts and catalytic process. In the nanofiber catalyst, there were oxygen vacancies. H₂-reduction resulted in the generation of trapped electrons [e] on the vacancy sites. Over the nanofiber catalyst, the intermediate H₂CO/HCO was stable and was reformed to CO₂ and H₂ by steam rather than being decomposed directly to CO and H₂. Over the bulk counterpart, apart from the direct decomposition of H₂CO/HCO to CO and H₂, the intermediate H₂COO might go through two decomposition ways: H₂COO=CO+H₂O and H₂COO=CO₂+H₂.     

CO2 hydrogenation in ionic liquids: Recent update

The suppression of CO₂ emission is an important global issue. Therefore, CO₂ hydrogenation is a hopeful method for capturing and recycling of CO₂. Ionic liquids have been known to have a high affinity with CO₂, indicative of the expectation for the enhancement of CO₂ hydrogenation in case used as reaction medium. In this article, progress of this area in 2018–2021 is mainly reviewed, namely, formic acid, hydrocarbons, methanol formation, hydroformylation, enzymatic methanol formation, and electro-reduction of CO₂ (CO₂RR). Various products are obtained with coupling of catalysts and ILs with changing properties. It is convincing that promising methodologies are growing for the sustainable society.