Indium‐based Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol: Key Aspects for Catalytic Performance

Abstract

AbstractCO2 hydrogenation utilizing sustainably produced hydrogen and CO2 derived from industrial exhaust gas represents a pivotal technology for chemical energy storage and climate change mitigation. This work aims to identify the best combination of catalyst support, synthesis method and promotor for In2O3/ZrO2 catalysts in a typical fixed‐bed configuration. Intense characterization using ICP‐OES, XRD, XPS, N2‐physisorption, CO2‐TPD, H2‐TPR and SEM‐EDX provide molecular insights into the different effects caused by various synthesis methods and doping elements. Doping the most promising In2O3/ZrO2 (M‐SG) catalyst with 0.7 wt. % NiO by wetness impregnation using an ethanol/water mixture as a solvent, an increased methanol production rate of 0.497 gMeOH ⋅ ⋅ h−1 could already be achieved at 250 °C. Hereby, the low amount of highly dispersed NiO promotes H2 activation via hydrogen spillover, leading to sustained catalytic activity for 100 hours of time‐on‐stream.