From CO 2 to Methanol on Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 Industrial Catalyst. What Do We Know about the Active Phase and the Reaction Mechanism?

For more than half a century, the industrial production of methanol in the world has been based on a heterogeneous Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst where Cu nanoparticles are dispersed on an alumina support with ZnO particles as promoters. The reaction starts with syngas, a mixture of CO, CO2, and hydrogen, and the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide is an essential part of the process. Despite the technological importance and the high number of studies dedicated to identifying the structure of the functioning catalyst, there are still several open questions on the nature of the active sites and phases. Over the years, various hypotheses have been formulated. The most accredited versions concern the formation of CuZn alloys,…

• EC
  European Commission
• FC
  Fondazione Cariplo