Hydrogenation of CO2 on metal oxide-supported Cu-based materials: catalyst stability under different reaction conditions

• Grant number: 19/11246-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2019
• End date: August 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Agreement: BE-BASIC Consortium
• Principal Investigator: Janaina Fernandes Gomes
• Grantee: Iuri do Carmo Mendonça
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/08420-0 - Multi-approaches strategies for converting CO2 to platform molecules and value-added chemicals: catalysis and electrocatalysis investigations, AP.BIOEN.JP

Abstract

The intensification of the CO2 emissions arguably contributes to the increase in global temperatures and climate changes due to the ''greenhouse effect''. Hence, there has been increasing pressure for countries and scientists to curb CO2 emissions and develop efficient CO2 capture and utilization systems. In this sense, the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 can generate a wide variety of products, as methanol, methane, hydrocarbons, ethanol, higher alcohols, etc. Among these products, ethanol and higher alcohols are particularly interesting as neat fuels, fuel additives, and chemicals. Nevertheless, efficient technologies for the synthesis of ethanol or other C2+OH from the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 are still not available. Catalysts employed in studies comprising CO2 hydrogenation usually present low conversion, low selectivity, low stability and/or high costs. Therefore, the development of more efficient catalysts, preferentially based on non-noble elements, is necessary. In this context, Cu-based catalysts have attracted significant attention due to their relatively lower costs and better catalytic performance towards the conversion of CO2 to alcohols. In the present project, we propose to synthesize, characterize and apply Cu-based catalyts to catalytic hydrogenation of CO2, aiming to investigate the long-term stability of these materials under different reaction conditions.