Support Effects on Fe-Cu-Zn Trimetallic Catalysts for Efficient CO₂ Hydrogenation to Light Olefins
Faculty Mentor
Cheng Zhang
Major/Area of Research
Chemistry
Description
INTRODUCTION: The increasing use of industrial machinery, vehicles, and factories has led to a significant rise in greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to air pollution and global warming. One promising strategy to mitigate these environmental challenges is catalytic CO₂ conversion, which enables the transformation of CO₂ emissions into valuable chemicals.
METHOD: This study builds upon previous research optimizing the best molar ratio of Fe/Cu /Zn for CO₂ hydrogenation, where a 1:1:1 ratio demonstrated favorable light olefin yields. The novelty of this work lies in the use of a mixture of novel Fe²⁺ and Zn²⁺ organometallic complexes with copper acetate as precursors, eliminating the conventional calcination step prior to catalyst testing. To further enhance catalytic efficiency, the Fe/Cu/Zn (1:1:1) mixture was combined with various support materials, including CeO₂, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂, ZrO₂, and ZSM-5. The synthesized catalysts underwent solvent evaporation, were dried at 65°C overnight, and subjected to mild thermal treatment, during which highly magnetic Fe₃O₄ was synthesized in situ to enhance catalytic performance. The resulting materials were compressed, meshed into 40 –60 mesh pellets, and packed into quartz tubes for evaluation. CO₂ hydrogenation was performed in a flow-b ed reactor under controlled temperature and CO₂/H₂ flow conditions, with product analysis conducted via online gas chromatography (GC) to assess catalyst activity and selectivity.
CONCLUSION: This work provides valuable insights into the synergistic effects of Fe, Cu, and Zn in catalytic CO₂ conversion, highlighting the role of Fe₃O₄ formation and support interactions in enhancing catalytic efficiency. The findings contribute to the advancement of sustainable CO₂ utilization technologies, offering a potential pathway for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while producing value-added chemicals essential for industrial applications.
Support Effects on Fe-Cu-Zn Trimetallic Catalysts for Efficient CO₂ Hydrogenation to Light Olefins
INTRODUCTION: The increasing use of industrial machinery, vehicles, and factories has led to a significant rise in greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to air pollution and global warming. One promising strategy to mitigate these environmental challenges is catalytic CO₂ conversion, which enables the transformation of CO₂ emissions into valuable chemicals.
METHOD: This study builds upon previous research optimizing the best molar ratio of Fe/Cu /Zn for CO₂ hydrogenation, where a 1:1:1 ratio demonstrated favorable light olefin yields. The novelty of this work lies in the use of a mixture of novel Fe²⁺ and Zn²⁺ organometallic complexes with copper acetate as precursors, eliminating the conventional calcination step prior to catalyst testing. To further enhance catalytic efficiency, the Fe/Cu/Zn (1:1:1) mixture was combined with various support materials, including CeO₂, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂, ZrO₂, and ZSM-5. The synthesized catalysts underwent solvent evaporation, were dried at 65°C overnight, and subjected to mild thermal treatment, during which highly magnetic Fe₃O₄ was synthesized in situ to enhance catalytic performance. The resulting materials were compressed, meshed into 40 –60 mesh pellets, and packed into quartz tubes for evaluation. CO₂ hydrogenation was performed in a flow-b ed reactor under controlled temperature and CO₂/H₂ flow conditions, with product analysis conducted via online gas chromatography (GC) to assess catalyst activity and selectivity.
CONCLUSION: This work provides valuable insights into the synergistic effects of Fe, Cu, and Zn in catalytic CO₂ conversion, highlighting the role of Fe₃O₄ formation and support interactions in enhancing catalytic efficiency. The findings contribute to the advancement of sustainable CO₂ utilization technologies, offering a potential pathway for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while producing value-added chemicals essential for industrial applications.