Engineering CuZnOAl2O3 Catalyst for Enhancing CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol

Abstract

The CuZnOAl2O3 catalyst shows excellent activity and selectivity in the reaction of CO2 hydrogenation to methanol as a consequence of its controllable physicochemical properties, which is expected to offer an efficient route to renewable energy. In this study, CuZnOAl2O3 catalysts are engineered by a special pretreatment, constructing a carbonate structure on the surface of the catalyst. Compared to the unmodified catalyst, the optimized catalyst (CZA-H-C1) not only exhibits an improved methanol selectivity of 62.5% (250 °C and 3 MPa) but also retains a minimal degree of deactivation of 9.57% over a 100 h period. By characterizing the catalysts with XRD, TEM, XPS and in situ DRIFTS spectroscopy, it was found that the surface carbonate species on Cu-based catalysts could significantly enhance the reaction and shield the active sites. This study offers theoretical insights and practical strategies for the rational design and optimization of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts.