Effect of Silica Promoter on Performance of CuO-ZnO-ZrO<sub>2</sub> Catalyst for Methanol Synthesis from CO<sub>2</sub> Hydrogenation

Abstract

Various CuO-ZnO-ZrO2(CZZ) catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation were prepared by co-precipitation method. Small amount of silica was incorporated into CZZ catalyst to produce these modified ternary CZZ catalysts. The effects of silica on physicochemical and catalytic properties were studied by TG-DTG,XRD,BET,N2O chemisorption,H2-TPR,NH3-TPD and CO2-TPD techniques. The results show that the properties of catalysts were strongly influenced by the content of SiO2 used as promoter. The catalytic performance for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation was evaluated. The test results show that the CZZ catalyst modified with 4 wt.% SiO2 exhibits an optimum catalytic activity. The silica improves the dispersion of CuO and its modified CZZ catalysts exhibits higher specific surface area, which were confirmed to be responsible for excellent performance of the catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation.