Influence of Reaction Temperature on CO2-to-methanol Hydrogenation over MZrOx (M = Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ga, and In)

Abstract

Abstract To open up the possibility of synthesizing useful substances from CO2, we have developed new catalysts that hydrogenate CO2 to methanol with high yield at 300 °C and higher. In this study, methanol synthesis via CO2 hydrogenation at 250–350 °C and 10 bar was investigated using Zr-based metal oxide catalysts, MZrOx (M = Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ga, and In). The different metals (M) determined the suitable reaction temperature wherein the maximum yield of methanol was obtained. CuZrOx was a suitable catalyst for low-temperature methanol synthesis because the yield decreased with increasing reaction temperature from 250 °C to 350 °C. In contrast, ZnZrOx, GaZrOx, and InZrOx were suitable for methanol synthesis at 300 °C and higher. In particular, ZnZrOx afforded the highest yield of methanol (60 mLSTP h−1 g−1 at 300 °C) among the prepared MZrOx catalysts.