Effect of CeO_(2)on Activity of Catalysts CuO/ZnO/Al_(2)O_(3)/CeO_(2)for Synthesis of Methanol

The size of the nanoparticles and the number of oxygen vacancies have a significant effect on the catalytic activity of copper-based catalysts used for the synthesis of methanol from syngas.In this study,the authors prepared a series of catalysts CuO/ZnO/Al_(2)O_(3)/CeO_(2)(CZAC)with CuO particles of different sizes and varying number of oxygen vacancies on the surface by changing the added volume of CeO2 by using the co-precipitation method.The properties of the catalysts were characterized and their activity was evaluated by using high-pressure fixed-bed reaction equipment.The results showed that the addition of CeO_(2)to CuO/ZnO/Al_(2)O_(3)not only influenced the size of the CuO particles and metal-metal interactions,but also had an effect on the concentrations of oxygen vacancies and strongly basic sites.The presence of CuO particles of small sizes and a large numbers of oxygen vacancies on the surface of the catalyst were beneficial to its activity for the synthesis of methanol.The catalyst CZAC,when modified by 5%of CeO_(2),recorded CuO particles of the smallest size(8.9 nm),strong intermetallic interactions,and the highest concentrations of oxygen vacancies and strongly basic sites.It also exhibited the highest catalytic activity,with a space-time yield of methanol of 0.315 g/(h·g)that was higher than that of the enterprise RK-5 catalyst[0.215 g/(h·g)].

Highly efficient Cu/anatase TiO2 {001}-nanosheets catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO2

Anatase TiO2 nanosheets（-ns-） with dominant exposed {001} facets were used as support to load copper,and the synthesized Cu/TiO2-ns catalysts were evaluated for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. Under the reaction conditions, P = 3.0 MPa, T = 260 ℃, V（N2）：V（H2）：V（CO2） = 8：69：23 and gas hourly space velocity（GHSV） = 3600 mL g-1h-1, the methanol yield reached an appealing high value, 5.6%. Copper-loading amount, calcination temperature and reduction atmosphere have been investigated in this work, which significantly influence the particle sizes of copper and/or the defect concentration in TiO2, then leading to different catalytic performance. Characterizations of XRD, EPR, CO2-TPD and FTIR demonstrate that higher specific surface area of Cu is good for the hydrogenation of CO2 and adequate amount of Ti3＋ plays important roles in CO2 activation. Both of them facilitate high turnover frequency（TOF） of methanol formation.

Influence of Aging Time on the Properties of Precursors of CuO/ZnO Catalysts for Methanol Synthesis

The aging process of pure copper precursors and copper-zinc binary precursorswere studied by XRD, TG-DTG and TPR techniques. The catalytic activity and stability of CuO/ZnOwere tested using fixed-bed flow reactor, and the physical properties of the catalysts and Cuspecies were characterized with N_2 adsorption and N_2O passivation method, respectively. For theCu-Zn binary system prepared at the precipitating condition of pH=8.0 and temperature=80℃, theinitial phase was a mixture of copper nitrate hydroxide Cu_2(NO_3)(OH)_3, georgeite and hydrozinciteZn_5(CO_3)_2(OH)_6. By increasing the duration of its aging time, the phase of Cu_2(NO_3)(OH)_2first transited to georgeite, and then interdiffused into Zn_5(CO_3)_2(OH)_6 and resulted in two newphases: rosasite (Cu,Zn)_2CO_3(OH)_2 and au-richalcite (Zn,Cu)_5(CO_3)_2(OH)_6. The former phasewas much easier to be formed than the latter one, while the latter phase was more responsible forthe activity of methanol synthesis than the former one. It is found that the composition andstructure of the precursors altered obviously after the colour transition point. The experimentalresults showed that methanol synthesis is a structure-sensitive catalytic reaction.

Characterization and performance of Cu/ZnO/Al_2O_3 catalysts prepared via decomposition of M(Cu,Zn)-ammonia complexes under sub-atmospheric pressure for methanol synthesis from H_2 and CO_2

Methanol synthesis from hydrogenation of CO2 is investigated over Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts prepared by decomposition of M（Cu,Zn）-ammonia complexes （DMAC） at various temperatures.The catalysts were characterized in detail,including X-ray diffraction,N2 adsorption-desorption,N2O chemisorption,temperature-programmed reduction and evolved gas analyses.The influences of DMAC temperature,reaction temperature and specific Cu surface area on catalytic performance are investigated.It is considered that the aurichalcite phase in the precursor plays a key role in improving the physiochemical properties and activities of the final catalysts.The catalyst from rich-aurichalcite precursor exhibits large specific Cu surface area and high space time yield of methanol （212 g/（Lcat·h）;T=513 K,p=3MPa,SV=12000 h-1）.

Preparation of Cu/ZrO2 catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO2/H2

Cu/ZrO2 catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO2/H2 were respectively prepared by deposition coprecipitation （DP） and solid state reaction （SR） methods. There is an intimate interaction between copper and zirconia, which strongly affects the reduction property and catalytic performance of the catalysts. The stronger the interaction, the lower the reduction temperature and the better the performance of the catalysts. Surface area, pore structure and crystal structure of the catalysts are mainly controlled by preparation methods and alkalinity of synthesis system. The conversion of CO2 and selectivity of methanol are higher for DP catalysts than for SP catalysts.

Promoting effect of polyoxyethylene octylphenol ether on Cu/ZnO catalysts for low-temperature methanol synthesis

Cu/ZnO catalysts were prepared by the co-precipitation method with the addition of OP-10 （polyoxyethylene octylphenol ether） and were chemically and structurally characterized by means of XRD, BET, H2-TPR, CO-TPD and N20-titration. The effect of OP-10 addition on the activity of Cu/ZnO for the slurry phase methanol synthesis at 150℃ was evaluated. The results showed that Cu/ZnO prepared with addition of 8% OP-10 （denoted as C8） exhibited the promoted activity for the methanol synthesis. The conversion of CO and the STY （space time yield） of methanol were 42.5% and 74.6% higher than those of Cu/ZnO prepared without addition of OP-10 （denoted as CO）, respectively. The precursor of C8 contained more aurichalcite and rosasite, and the concerted effect of Cu-Zn in C8 was found to be stronger than that in CO. Compared with CO, C8 showed smaller particle size, lower reduction temperature and larger BET and Cu surface areas.

Effect of preparation methods of aluminum emulsions on catalytic performance of copper-based catalysts for methanol synthesis from syngas

Various Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts have been synthesized by different aluminum emulsions as aluminum sources and their pertormances tor methanol synthesis from syngas have been investigated. The influences of preparation methods of aluminum emulsions on physicochemical and catalytic properties of catalysts were studied by XRD, SEM, XPS,N2 adsorption-desorption techniques and methanol synthesis from syngas. The preparation methods of aluminum emulsions were found to influence the catalytic activity, CuO crystallite size, surface area and Cu0 surface area and reduction process. The results show that the catalyst CN using the aluminum source prepared by addition the ammonia into the aluminum nitrate （NP） exhibited the best catalytic performance for methanol synthesis from syngas.

A sulfur-tolerant Pd/CeO_2 catalyst for methanol synthesis from syngas

The catalytic activity of ceria-supported Pd for selective hydrogenation of CO is well preserved in the presence of 30 ppm H2S due to the parallel oxidation of sulfur by CeO2 under standard methanol synthesis conditions. The bifunctional nature of this catalyst opens a route for the conversion of sulfur-contaminated gas streams such as the integrated gasification combined cycle syngas or biogas into liquid fuels if desulfurization by conventional means is not practical.

Bifunctionality of Cu/ZnO catalysts for alcohol-assisted low-temperature methanol synthesis from syngas:Effect of copper content

Alcohol-assisted low-temperature methanol synthesis was conducted over Cu/ZnO;catalysts while varying the copper content（X）. Unlike conventional methanol synthesis, ethanol acted as both solvent and reaction intermediate in this reaction, creating a different reaction pathway. The formation of crystalline phases and characteristic morphology of the co-precipitated precursors during the co-precipitation step were important factors in obtaining an efficient Cu/ZnO catalyst with a high dispersion of metallic copper,which is one of the main active sites for methanol synthesis. The acidic properties of the Cu/ZnO catalyst were also revealed as important factors, since alcohol esterification is considered the rate-limiting step in alcohol-assisted low-temperature methanol synthesis. As a consequence, bifunctionality of the Cu/ZnO catalyst such as metallic copper and acidic properties was required for this reaction. In this respect, the copper content（X） strongly affected the catalytic activity of the Cu/ZnO;catalysts, and accordingly, the Cu/ZnO;.5 catalyst with a high copper dispersion and sufficient acid sites exhibited the best catalytic performance in this reaction.

Study on Highly Active Catalysts and a Once-Through Process for Methanol Synthesis from Syngas

Highly active CNT-promoted co-precipitated Cu-ZnO-Al_2O_3 catalysts,symbolized as Cu_iZn_jAl_k-x%CNTs, were prepared, and their catalytic activity for once-throughmethanol synthesis from syngas was investigated. The results illustrated that, under the reactionconditions (at 493 K, 5.0 MPa, the volume ratio of H_2/CO/CO_2/N_2= 62/30/5/3, GHSV= 4000 h^(-1),the observed single-pass CO-conversion and methanol-STY over a Cu_6Zn_3Al_1-12.5%CNTs catalystreached 64% and 1210 mg/(h-g), which was about 68% and 66% higher than those (38% and 730 mg/(h·g))over the corresponding CNT-free catalyst, Cu-6Zn_3Al_1, respectively. The characteristic studies ofthe catalysts revealed that appropriate incorporation of a minor amount of the CNTs into theCu_iZn_jAl_k brought about little change in the apparent activation energy of the methanol synthesisreaction, however, led to a considerable increase in the catalyst's active Cu surface area andpronouncedly enhanced the stationary-state concentration of active hydrogen-adspecies on the surfaceof the functioning catalyst, which would be favorable to increasing the rate of the COhydro-genation reactions. Moreover, the operation temperature for methanol synthesis over theCNT-promoted catalysts can be 10-20 degrees lower than that over the corresponding CNT-free contrastsystem, which would contribute considerably to an increase in equilibrium CO-conversion andCH_3OH-yield.

Engineering Cu^(+)/CeZrO_(x) interfaces to promote CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol

Cu-based catalysts are widely employed for CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol,which is expected as a promising process to achieving carbon neutrality.However,most Cu-based catalysts still suffer from low methanol yield with a passable CO_(2) conversion and lack insight into its reaction mechanism for guiding the design of catalysts.In this work,Cu^(+)/CeZrO_(x) interfaces are engineered by employing a series of ceria-zirconia solid solution catalysts with various Ce/Zr ratios,forming a Cu^(+)-O_(v)-Ce^(3+)structure where Cu^(+)atoms are bonded to the oxygen vacancies(O_(v))of ceria.Compared to Cu/CeO_(2) and Cu/ZrO_(2),the optimized catalyst(i.e.,Cu_(0.3)Ce_(0.3)Zr_(0.7))exhibits a much higher mass-specific methanol formation rate(192g_(MeOH)/kg_(cat)/h)at 240℃and 3 MPa.Through a series of in-situ and ex-situ characterization,it is revealed that oxygen vacancies in solid solutions can effectively assist the activation of CO_(2) and tune the electronic state of copper to promote the formation of Cu^(+)/CeZrO_(x) interfaces,which stabilizes the key*CO intermediate,inhibits its desorption and facilitates its further hydrogenation to methanol via the reverse watergas-shift(RWGS)+CO-Hydro pathway.Therefore,the concentration of*CO or the apparent Cu^(+)/(Cu^(+)+Cu^(0))ratio could be employed as a quantitative descriptor of the methanol formation rate.This work is expected to give a deep insight into the mechanism of metal/support interfaces in CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol,offering an effective strategy to develop new catalysts with high performance.

Simultaneous production and utilization of methanol for methyl formate synthesis in a looped heat exchanger reactor configuration

In this investigation, a novel thermally coupled reactor （TCR） containing methyl formate （MF） production in the endothermic side and methanol synthesis in the exothermic side has been investigated. The interesting feature of this TCR is that productive methanol in the exothermic side could be recycled and used as feed of endothermic side for MF synthesis. Other important advantages of the proposed system are high production rates of hydrogen and MF. The configuration consists of two thermally coupled concentric tubular reactors. In these coupled reactors, autothermal system is obtained within the reactor. A steady-state heterogeneous model is used for simulation of the coupled reactor. The proposed model has been utilized to compare the performance of TCR with the conventional methanol reactor （CMR）. Noticeable enhancement can be obtained in the performance of the reactors. The influence of operational parameters is studied on reactor performance. The results show that coupling of these reactions could be feasible and beneficial. Experimental proof-of-concept is required to validate the operation of the novel reactor.

New Rh-ZnO/Carbon Nanotubes Catalyst for Methanol Synthesis

A new catalyst for methanol synthesis, ZnO-promoted rhodium supported on carbon nanotubes, was developed. It was found that the Rh-ZnO/CNTs catalyst had high activity of 411.4 mg CH3OH/g/cat/h and selectivity of 96.7 % for methanol at 1 MPa and 523 K. The activity of this catalyst is much higher than that of NC 207 catalyst at the same reaction conditions. It was suggested that the multi-walled structure CNTs favored both the couple transfer of the proton and electron over the surface of the catalyst and the uptake of hydrogen which was favorable to methanol synthesis.

Effect of Titanium on Methanol Synthesis from CO_2 Hydrogenation over Cu/γ-Al_2O_3

Titanium-modified (-alumina supported CuO catalyst has been prepared and used to methanol synthesis from CO_2 hydrogenation. The addition of Ti to the CuO/(-Al_2O_3 catalyst made the copper in the catalyst exist in much smaller crystallites. The effect of the loading of Ti on the activity and selectivity to methanol from CO_2 hydrogenation was investigated. The activity was found to increase with the increasing of surface area of metallic copper, but it is not a linear relationship.

The Effect of Rare Earth on the Activity of Methanol Synthesis Catalyst

In this paper several rare earth oxides were added into methanol synthesis catalyst by solid-mixing method to improve the activity of methanol synthesis catalyst. Nd2O3, CeO2, La2O3 and Sm2O3 decrease the catalyst activity, while Pr2O3, Gd2O3 and Eu2O3 increase the methanol yield.

NC310 Catalyst for Methanol Synthesis Developed by SINOPEC Research Institute of Nanjing Chemical Company

The NC310 type catalyst for methanol synthesis developedby the SINOPEC Research Institute of NanjingChemical Company has passed the appraisal of researchachievements organized by the Science and TechnologyDivision of the Sinopec Corp. The group of specialistsattending the appraisal meeting has recognized that thiscatalyst has reached the internationally advanced level interms of its overall catalytic performance.

Revalorization of CO2 for methanol production via ZnO promoted carbon nanofibers based Cu-ZrO2 catalytic hydrogenation

A series of novel carbon nanofibers(CNFs)based Cu-ZrO2 catalysts were synthesized by deposition precipitation method.To investigate the influence of promoter,catalysts were loaded with 1,2,3 and 4 wt%ZnO and characterized by ICP-OES,HRTEM,BET,N2O chemisorption,TPR,XPS and CO2-TPD techniques.The results revealed that physicochemical properties of the catalysts were strongly influenced by incorporation of ZnO to the parent catalyst.Copper surface area(SCu)and dispersion(DCu)were slightly decreased by incorporation of ZnO promoter.Nevertheless,SCuand DCuwere remarkably decreased when ZnO content was exceeded beyond 3 wt%.The catalytic performance was evaluated by using autoclave slurry reactor at a pressure and temperature of 30 bar and 180℃,respectively.The promotion of CuZrO2/CNFs catalyst with 3 wt%of ZnO enhanced methanol synthesis rate from 32 to 45 g kg^-1 h^-1.Notably,with the ZnO promotion the selectivity to methanol was enhanced to 92%compared to 78%of the un-promoted Cu-ZrO2/CNFs catalyst at the expense of a lowered CO2 conversion.In addition,the catalytic activity of this novel catalyst system for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol was compared with the recent literature data.

Synergistic effect of the metal-support interaction and interfacial oxygen vacancy for CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol over Ni/In_(2)O_(3) catalyst:A theoretical study

Indium oxide supported nickel catalyst has been experimentally confirmed to be highly active for CO_(2) hydrogenation towards methanol.In this work,the reaction mechanism for CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol has been investigated on a model Ni/In_(2)O_(3) catalyst,i.e.,Ni_(4)/In_(2)O_(3),via the density functional theory(DFT)study.Three possible reaction pathways,i.e.,the formate pathway,CO hydrogenation and the reverse water-gas-shift(RWGS)pathways,have been examined on this model catalyst.It has been demonstrated that the RWGS pathway is the most theoretically-favored for CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol.The complete RWGS pathway follows CO_(2)+6 H→COOH+5 H→CO+H_(2)O+4 H→HCO+H_(2)O+3 H→H_(2)CO+H_(2)O+2 H→H_(3)CO+H_(2)O+H→H_(3)COH+H_(2) O.Furthermore,it has been also proved that the interfacial oxygen vacancy can serve as the active site for boosting the CO_(2) adsorption and charge transfer between the nickel species and indium oxide,which synergistically promotes the consecutive CO_(2) hydrogenation towards methanol.

Hollow structured Cu@ZrO_(2) derived from Zr-MOF for selective hydrogenation of CO_(2) to methanol

The development of a highly efficient catalyst for CO_(2) activation and selective conversion to methanol is critical to address the issues associated with the high thermal stability of CO_(2) and controllable synthesis of methanol.Cu-based catalysts have been widely studied because of the low cost and excellent performance in mild conditions.However,the improvement of catalytic activity and selectivity remains challenging.Herein,we prepared hollow Cu@ZrO_(2) catalysts through pyrolysis of Cu-loaded Zr-MOF for CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol.Low-temperature pyrolysis generated highly dispersed Cu nanoparticles with balanced Cu^(0)/Cu^(+)sites,larger amounts of surface basic sites and abundant Cu-ZrO_(2) interface in the hollow structure,contributing to enhanced catalytic capacity for adsorption/activation of CO_(2) and selective hydrogenation to methanol.In situ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy revealed the methanol formation followed the formate-intermediated pathway.This work would provide a guideline for the design of high-performance catalysts and the understanding of the mechanism and active sites for CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol.

Nickel-modified In_(2)O_(3) with inherent oxygen vacancies for CO_(2) hydrogenation to methanol

Methanol synthesis is one of the most important industrially-viable approaches for carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) utilization, as the produced methanol can be used as a platform chemical for manufacturing green fuels and chemicals. The In_(2)O_(3) catalysts are ideal for sustainable methanol synthesis and have received considerable attention. Herein, Co-, Ni-and Cu-modified In_(2)O_(3) catalysts were fabricated with high dispersion and high stability to improve the hydrogenation performance. The Ni-promoted In_(2)O_(3) catalyst in the form of high dispersion possessed the largest amount of oxygen vacancies and the strongest ability for H_(2) activation, leading to the highest CO_(2) conversion and space time yield of methanol of 0.390 g_(Me OH)g_(cat)^(-1)h^(-1) with CH_(3)OH selectivity of 68.7%. In addition, the catalyst exhibits very stable performance over 120 h on stream, which suggests the promising prospect for industrial applications. Further experimental and theoretical studies demonstrate that surface Ni doping promotes the formation of oxygen defects on the In_(2)O_(3) catalyst, although it also results in lower methanol selectivity. Surprisingly, subsurface Ni dopants are found to be more beneficial for methanol formation than surface Ni dopants, so the Nipromoted In_(2)O_(3)catalyst with a lower surface Ni content at the similar Ni loading can reach higher methanol selectivity and productivity. This work thus provides theoretical guidance for significantly improving the CO_(2) reactivity of In_(2)O_(3)-based catalysts while maintaining high methanol selectivity.