Hydrogenation of CO2 on non-noble elements-based catalysts: the influence of the catalyst chemical composition and pressure on the reaction kinetics

• Grant number: 20/07843-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2020
• End date: February 28, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Agreement: BE-BASIC Consortium
• Principal Investigator: Janaina Fernandes Gomes
• Grantee: Leonardo de Oliveira Santos
• 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

Strategies to reduce CO2 emissions and control the increase in atmospheric CO2 levels are urgent. A promising approach to help to minimize the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere and the corresponding negative environmental impacts includes the use of CO2 as feedstock for chemicals and fuels, for example. These compounds can be synthesized by the CO2 hydrogenation via heterogeneous catalysis or electrocatalysis. At the corresponding state of the art, however, catalysts employed in the CO2 hydrogenation present low CO2 conversion, low selectivity towards the formation of a specific product, low stability under the reaction conditions and/or high costs. Therefore, the development of more efficient catalysts, preferentially based on non-noble elements, is necessary. The rational design of effective materials depends on the progress of the understanding on how the catalysts properties and other experimental conditions affect the kinetic and mechanism of this reaction. In the present project, we propose to investigate the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 on catalysts composed by non-noble elements, as copper and iron, aiming to further understand the influence of the catalyst chemical composition and pressure on the kinetic of this reaction. Within this project, for distinct chemical compositions and pressures, we intend to propose rational reaction models, derive proper rate expressions based on these models and, finally, evaluate the physical and thermodynamic consistency of the fitting parameters contained in these rate equations. (AU)