Preparation of In2O3/ZrO2 catalyst via DBD plasma decomposition of Zr(OH)4 for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

Abstract

In2O3/m-ZrO2 (monoclinic ZrO2) was recently confirmed to be active for hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol. In this work, an argon dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma decomposition of Zr(OH)4, operated at atmospheric pressure and about 150 °C, was applied for the preparation of ZrO2. The catalyst characterization confirmed the DBD plasma decomposition causes a formation of amorphous ZrO2 (am-ZrO2). The obtained am-ZrO2 was used as a support for the preparation of In2O3/am-ZrO2 catalyst, which was found to be active for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. The space-time yield of methanol over 10 wt.% In2O3/am-ZrO2 catalyst reaches 0.21 gMeOH gcat−1 h−1 under 5 MPa and 300 °C. The thermal treatment of the DBD generated am-ZrO2 further improves the activity of the In2O3/am-ZrO2 catalyst. The present study demonstrates that DBD plasma decomposition is a rapid and convenient way for the preparation of am-ZrO2, further facilitating the catalyst design for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol.