Nanoflower‐like Cu/SiO2 Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Ethylene Carbonate to Methanol and Ethylene Glycol: Enriching H2 Adsorption

Abstract

AbstractThe hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate (EC) to produce methanol and ethylene glycol (EG) is one of the key steps in the promising route for CO2 utilization on a large scale. However, the high H2/EC ratio in feed (usually as 200∼300) is generally required to achieve favorable catalytic activity, inducing the high cost for H2 circulation in the industrial application. Here, we report a series of nanoflower‐like catalysts with curved fibers and open ends, among which the catalyst with the highest fiber density exhibited nearly 98 % EC conversion, 75 % methanol selectivity and over 99 % EG selectivity when the H2/EC ratio was decreased to 60. Combining the characterizations of active species distribution and high‐pressure H2 adsorption, it is demonstrated that the nanoflower‐like morphology with dense fibers could remarkably enrich the hydrogen adsorption, consequently, accelerate the reaction rate and present an excellent performance at a low H2/EC ratio. These insights may provide instructive suggestions for further design of catalysts for the hydrogenation reactions.