The kinetics of CO2 hydrogenation on a Rh foil promoted by titania overlayers

Submonolayer deposits of titania on a Rh foil have been found to increase the rate of CO₂ hydrogenation. The primary product, methane, exhibits a maximum rate at a TiO _x coverage of 0.5 ML which is a factor of 15 higher than that over the clean Rh surface. The rate of ethane formation displays a maximum which is 70 times that over the unpromoted Rh foil; however, the selectivity for methane remains in excess of 99%. The apparent activation energy for methane formation and the dependence of the rate on H₂ and CO₂ partial pressure have been determined both for the bare Rh surface and the titania-promoted surface. These rate parameters show very small variations as titania is added to the Rh catalyst. The methanation of CO₂ is proposed to start with the dissociation of CO₂ into CO_(a) and O_(a), and then proceed through steps which are identical to those for the hydrogenation of CO. The increase in the rate of CO₂ hydrogenation in the presence of titania is attributed to an interaction between the adsorbed CO, released by CO₂ dissociation, and Ti³⁺ ions located at the edge of TiO _x islands covering the surface. Differences in the effects of titania promotion on the methanation of CO₂ and CO are discussed in terms of the mechanisms that have been proposed for these two reactions.     

Hydrogenation of CO and CO2 on carbon black-supported Ru catalysts

The activity and selectivity of both unsupported Ru and carbon black-supported Ru catalysts toward the hydrogenation of CO and CO₂ have been investigated in order to learn about the effect of metal particle size on both reactions. The specific activity for both reactions decreases with metal particle size and the product distribution obtained in the hydrogenation of CO (the hydrogenation of CO₂ only yields methane) is also a function of metal dispersion; thus, the proportion of methane produced increases and the olefin/paraffin decreases with decreasing Ru particle size. This behaviour is attributed to changes in the electronic properties of the Ru crystallites in close contact with the graphitised carbon black used as support.     

The difference in the active sites for CO2 and CO hydrogenations on Cu/ZnO-based methanol synthesis catalysts

The effect of Zn in copper catalysts on the activities for both CO₂ and CO hydrogenations has been examined using a physical mixture of Cu/SiO₂+ZnO/SiO₂ and a Zn-containing Cu/SiO₂ catalyst or (Zn)Cu/SiO₂. Reduction of the physical mixture with H₂ at 573–723 K results in an increase in the yield of methanol produced by the CO₂ hydrogenation, while no such a promotion was observed for the CO hydrogenation, indicating that the active site is different for the CO₂ and CO hydrogenations. However, the methanol yield by CO hydrogenation is significantly increased by the oxidation treatment of the (Zn)Cu/SiO₂ catalyst. Thus it is concluded that the Cu–Zn site is active for the CO₂ hydrogenation as previously reported, while the Cu–O–Zn site is active for the CO hydrogenation.     

Selective methanation of CO over supported Ru catalysts

The catalytic performance of supported ruthenium catalysts for the selective methanation of CO in the presence of excess CO₂ has been investigated with respect to the loading (0.5–5.0 wt.%) and mean crystallite size (1.3–13.6 nm) of the metallic phase as well as with respect to the nature of the support (Al₂O₃, TiO₂, YSZ, CeO₂ and SiO₂). Experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 170–470 °C using a feed composition consisting of 1%CO, 50% H₂ 15% CO₂ and 0–30% H₂O (balance He). It has been found that, for all catalysts investigated, conversion of CO₂ is completely suppressed until conversion of CO reaches its maximum value. Selectivity toward methane, which is typically higher than 70%, increases with increasing temperature and becomes 100% when the CO₂ methanation reaction is initiated. Increasing metal loading results in a significant shift of the CO conversion curve toward lower temperatures, where the undesired reverse water–gas shift reaction becomes less significant. Results of kinetic measurements show that CO/CO₂ hydrogenation reactions over Ru catalysts are structure sensitive, i.e., the reaction rate per surface metal atom (turnover frequency, TOF) depends on metal crystallite size. In particular, for Ru/TiO₂ catalysts, TOFs of both CO (at 215 °C) and CO₂ (at 330 °C) increase by a factor of 40 and 25, respectively, with increasing mean crystallite size of Ru from 2.1 to 4.5 nm, which is accompanied by an increase of selectivity to methane. Qualitatively similar results were obtained from Ru catalysts supported on Al₂O₃. Experiments conducted with the use of Ru catalyst of the same metal loading (5 wt.%) and comparable crystallite size show that the nature of the metal oxide support affects significantly catalytic performance. In particular, the turnover frequency of CO is 1–2 orders of magnitude higher when Ru is supported on TiO₂, compared to YSZ or SiO₂, whereas CeO₂- and Al₂O₃-supported catalysts exhibit intermediate performance. Optimal results were obtained over the 5%Ru/TiO₂ catalyst, which is able to completely and selectively convert CO at temperatures around 230 °C. Addition of water vapor in the feed does not affect CO hydrogenation but shifts the CO₂ conversion curve toward higher temperatures, thereby further improving the performance of this catalyst for the title reaction. In addition, long-term stability tests conducted under realistic reaction conditions show that the 5%Ru/TiO₂ catalyst is very stable and, therefore, is a promising candidate for use in the selective methanation of CO for fuel cell applications.     

Low methane selectivity using Co/MnO catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction: Effect of increasing pressure and Co-feeding ethene

CO hydrogenation using cobalt/ manganese oxide catalysts is described and discussed. These catalysts are known to give low methane selectivity with high selectivity to C₃ hydrocarbons at moderate reaction conditions (GHSV < 500 h^–1, < 600 kPa). In this study the effect of reaction conditions more appropriate to industrial operation are investigated. CO hydrogenation at 1–2 MPa using catalyst formulations with Co/Mn = 0.5 and 1.0 gives selectivities to methane that are comparable to those observed at lower pressures. At the higher pressure the catalyst rapidly deactivates, a feature that is not observed at lower pressures. However, prior to deactivation rates of CO + CO₂ conversion > 8 mol/1-catalyst h can be observed. Co-feeding ethene during CO hydrogenation is investigated by the reaction of¹³C0-¹²C₂H₄-H₂ mixtures and a significant decrease in methane selectivity is observed but the hydrogenation of ethene is also a dominant reaction. The results show that the co-fed ethene can be molecularly incorporated but in addition it can generate a C, species that can react further to form methane and higher hydrocarbons.     

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: Effect of CO2 containing syngas over Pt promoted Co/γ-Al2O3 and K-promoted Fe catalysts

The effect of CO₂ was studied for cobalt and iron Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis. CO₂ behaves differently in the presence of CO over cobalt and iron catalysts in terms of hydrogenation. A systematic increase of the CO₂ mole fraction of carbon in the feed gas mixture alters the product distribution dramatically for cobalt FT synthesis with CO₂ behaving like an inert gas at higher partial pressure of CO. With cobalt, CO appears to compete with CO₂ for adsorption. Using an iron FT catalyst, hydrogenation of CO₂ was effected due to the presence of the reverse water–gas shift activity of the catalyst which converts CO₂ to hydrocarbons through the formation of CO. Unlike the cobalt catalyst, the product distribution was only slightly altered with increasing CO₂ content in the feed gas mixture to the iron catalyst. This difference in behavior of CO₂ over cobalt and iron could be attributed to the absence of reverse water–gas shift activity on cobalt and hydrogenation of CO₂ to hydrocarbons—other than methane—will be derived through the formation of CO.     

Cobalt Particle Size Effects in the Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis and in the Hydrogenation of CO2 Studied with Nanoparticle Model Catalysts on Silica

We have investigated the effect of cobalt nanoparticle size in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (CO/H₂) and have compared it to data obtained for carbon dioxide hydrogenation (CO₂/H₂) using model catalysts produced by colloidal methods. Both reactions demonstrated size dependence, in which we observed an increase of the turnover frequency with increasing average particle size. In both case, a maximum activity was found for cobalt particles around 10–11 nm in size. Regarding the selectivity, no size-dependent effect has been observed for the CO₂ hydrogenation, whereas CO hydrogenation selectivity depends both on the temperature and on the size of the particles. The hydrogenation of CO₂ produces mainly methane and carbon monoxide for all sizes and temperatures. The Fischer–Tropsch reaction exhibited small changes in the selectivity at low temperature (below 250 °C) while at high temperatures we observed an increase in chain growth with the increase of the size of cobalt particles. At 250 °C, large crystallites exhibit a higher selectivity to olefin than to the paraffin equivalents, indicating a decrease in the hydrogenation activity.     

Hydrogenation of CO2, acetone,and CO on a Rh foil promoted by titania overlayers

The effects of submonolayer deposits of titania on the hydrogenation of CO₂, acetone, and CO on a Rh foil have been investigated. Titania has been found to promote all three of the hydrogenation reactions, with each reaction exhibiting a maximum rate at a titania coverage of 0.5 ML. The maximum rate for CO₂ hydrogenation is 15 times that of the bare Rh surface. Acetone hydrogenation shows a 6-fold rate enhancement, while CO displays a 3-fold increase. Changes in the selectivities for each reaction are also observed upon titania promotion. The effects of titania on these reactions are attributed to an interaction between C-O bonds and Ti³⁺ ions located at the perimeter of titania islands.     

The thermodynamics of the hydrogenation of oxides of carbon

The thermodynamics of the hydrogenation of CO and CO₂ is summarized. Equilibrium compositions for a number of reactions proceeding simultaneously to yield a number of hydrocarbons and oxygenated organic molecules are reported. If methane is included in these calculations, methane is the predominant product; therefore, for the production of other molecules selective catalysts are required. For producing methane the hydrogenation of CO₂ rather than CO may be advantageous, because the reaction is less exothermic. Thermodynamic calculations and results of tests on Raney nickel in a small tubular reactor show that high yields of methane can be obtained in the hydrogenation of both CO and CO₂ at temperatures as high as 450°C.     

The thermodynamics of the hydrogenation of oxides of carbon

The thermodynamics of the hydrogenation of CO and CO₂ is summarized. Equilibrium compositions for a number of reactions proceeding simultaneously to yield a number of hydrocarbons and oxygenated organic molecules are reported. If methane is included in these calculations, methane is the predominant product; therefore, for the production of other molecules selective catalysts are required. For producing methane the hydrogenation of CO₂ rather than CO may be advantageous, because the reaction is less exothermic. Thermodynamic calculations and results of tests on Raney nickel in a small tubular reactor show that high yields of methane can be obtained in the hydrogenation of both CO and CO₂ at temperatures as high as 450°C.     

Influence of titania on zirconia promoted Cu/SiO2 catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO/H2 and CO2/H2

The effects of adding mixtures of titania and zirconia on the methanol synthesis activity and selectivity of Cu/SiO₂ were investigated. The synthesis of methanol from both CO/H₂ and CO₂/H₂ mixtures was examined at 0.65 MPa and temperatures between 448 and 573 K. For CO hydrogenation, the addition of ZrO₂ alone increased the methanol synthesis activity of Cu/SiO₂ by up to three-fold. Substitution of a portion of the ZrO₂ by TiO₂ decreased the methanol synthesis activity of the catalyst relative to that observed when only ZrO₂ is added. ZrO₂ addition also enhanced the methane synthesis activity by as much as seven fold. In the case of CO₂ hydrogenation, the maximum methanol synthesis activity is achieved when a 50/50 wt% mixture of ZrO₂ and TiO₂ is added to Cu/SiO₂. Neither the presence of the oxide additive nor its composition had any effect on the activity of the reverse water–gas-shift reaction, which suggests that this reaction proceeds only on Cu. The observed effects of ZrO₂ and TiO₂ on the catalytic activity of methanol synthesis from CO and CO₂, and methane synthesis from CO, are interpreted in terms of the strength and concentration of acidic and basic groups on the surface of the dispersed oxide.     

Slurry-phase CO2 hydrogenation to hydrocarbons over a precipitated Fe-Cu-Al/K catalyst: Investigation of reaction conditions

The hydrogenation of CO₂ to hydrocarbons over a precipitated Fe-Cu-Al/K catalyst was studied in a slurry reactor for the first time. Reducibility of the catalyst and effect of reaction variables (temperature, pressure and H₂/CO₂ ratio of the feed gas) on the catalytic reaction performance were investigated. The reaction results indicated that the Fe-Cu-Al/K catalyst showed a good CO₂ hydrogenation performance at a relatively low temperature (533 K). With the increase of reaction temperature CO₂ conversion and olefin to paraffin (O/P) ratio in C₂-C₄ hydrocarbons as well as the selectivity to C₂-C₄ fraction increased, while CO and CH₄ selectivity showed a reverse trend. With the increase in reaction pressure, CO₂ conversion and the selectivity to hydrocarbons increased, while the CO selectivity and O/P ratio of C₂-C₄ hydrocarbons decreased. The investigation of H2/CO₂ ratio revealed that CO₂ conversion and CH₄ selectivity increased while CO selectivity and O/P ratio of C₂-C₄ decreased with increasing H₂/CO₂ ratio.     

Activation mechanism of methane-derived coke (CHx) by CO2 during dry reforming of methane – comparison for Pt/Al2O3 and Pt/ZrO2

The reaction of methane-derived coke (CH_x: intermediate of the reforming reaction and also a source of coke deposition) with CO₂ was studied on supported Pt catalysts in relation with CO₂ reforming of methane. Temperature-programmed hydrogenation (TPH) was performed to investigate the reactivity of coke deposition after the catalyst was exposed to CH₄/He at 1070 K. Coke on Pt/Al₂O₃ could be hydrogenated around 873 K, while for Pt/ZrO₂ this was above 1073 K. The results indicate that the reactivity of coke with hydrogen was higher on Pt/Al₂O₃ than on Pt/ZrO₂, which was different from the reactivity of coke towards CO₂. Thus, the reactivity of CO₂ was studied and compared on these catalysts by several technics. The amount of CO evolution was measured during CO₂ flow at 1070 and 875 K. Rate and amount of converted CO₂ were higher on Pt/ZrO₂ than on Pt/Al₂O₃. Pt/ZrO₂ was proven to react with CO₂ to produce CO and active oxygen (CO₂CO+O) (probably on its oxygen defect site) more easily than Pt/Al₂O₃.     

Effect of CO2 in the feed stream on the deactivation of Co/γ-Al2O3 Fischer–Tropsch catalyst

The influence of CO₂ on the deactivation of Co/γ-Al₂O₃ Fischer–Tropsch (FT) catalyst in CO hydrogenation has been investigated. The presence of CO₂ in the feed stream reveals a negative effect on catalyst stability and in the formation of heavy hydrocarbons. The CO₂ acts as a mild oxidizing agent on cobalt metal during Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. During FT synthesis on Co/γ-Al₂O₃ of 70 h, the CO conversion and C₅₊ selectivity in the presence of CO₂ decreased more significantly than in the absence of CO₂. CO₂ is found to be responsible for the partial oxidation of surface cobalt metal at FT synthesis environment with the co-existence of generated water.     

Pathways for CO2 Formation and Conversion During Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis on Iron-Based Catalysts

CO₂ reaction and formation pathways during Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) on a co-precipitated Fe–Zn catalyst promoted with Cu and K were studied using a kinetic analysis of reversible reactions and with the addition of ¹³C-labeled and unlabeled CO₂ to synthesis gas. Primary pathways for the removal of adsorbed oxygen formed in CO dissociation steps include reactions with adsorbed hydrogen to form H₂O and with adsorbed CO to form CO₂. The H₂O selectivity for these pathways is much higher than that predicted from WGS reaction equilibrium; therefore readsorption of H₂O followed by its subsequent reaction with CO-derived intermediates leads to the net formation of CO₂ with increasing reactor residence time. The forward rate of CO₂ formation increases with increasing residence time as H₂O concentration increases, but the net CO₂ formation rate decreases because of the gradual approach to WGS reaction equilibrium. CO₂ addition to synthesis gas does not influence CO₂ forward rates, but increases the rate of their reverse steps in the manner predicted by kinetic analyses of reversible reactions using non-equilibrium thermodynamic treatments. Thus the addition of CO₂ could lead to the minimization of CO₂ formation during FTS and to the preferential removal of oxygen as H₂O. This, in turn, leads to lower average H_2/CO ratios throughout the catalyst bed and to higher olefin content and C₅₊ selectivity among reaction products. The addition of ¹³CO₂ to H₂/¹²CO reactants did not lead to significant isotopic enrichment in hydrocarbon products, indicating that CO₂ is much less reactive than CO in chain initiation and growth. We find no evidence of competitive reactions of CO₂ to form hydrocarbons during reactions of H₂/CO/CO₂ mixtures, except via gas phase and adsorbed CO intermediates, which become kinetically indistinguishable from CO₂ as the chemical interconversion of CO and CO₂ becomes rapid at WGS reaction equilibrium.     

High pressure plant for heterogeneous catalytic CO2 hydrogenation reactions in a continuous flow microreactor

The CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol is favored by high pressure from the thermodynamic point of view. Mostly experimental work on this reaction is limited at 400 bar due to technical and safety reasons. In this work we present a high pressure plant able to conduct CO₂ hydrogenation reactions at pressures up to 950 bar in a capillary microreactor; we focus on the influence of pressure concerning process intensification.To validate the plant functionality the reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction was conducted over a 1 wt% Pt/CeO₂ catalyst at 450 °C and between 200 and 950 bar. A mass flow controller for hydrogen was developed due to lack of commercial available hydrogen mass flow controller able to work in the micro liter per minute range and up to 1000 bar. Additional to the RWGS reaction two more reactions take place. The first is the CO disproportionation reaction which results in deposited carbon on the catalyst. The second is the subsequent hydrogenation of carbon to methane. The experimentally determined CO₂ conversion is clearly below the equilibrium of the entire reaction network, hence the reaction is kinetically limited. The reaction performance increases with pressure showing process intensification.     

Effects of zirconia promotion on the activity of Cu/SiO2 for methanol synthesis from CO/H2 and CO2/H2

The effect of zirconia promotion on Cu/SiO₂ for the hydrogenation of CO and CO₂ at 0.65 MPa has been investigated at temperatures between 473 and 573 K. With increasing zirconia loading, the rate of methanol synthesis is greatly enhanced for both CO and CO₂ hydrogenation, but more significantly for CO hydrogenation. For example, at 533 K the methanol synthesis activity of 30.5 wt% zirconia-promoted Cu/SiO₂ is 84 and 25 times that of unpromoted Cu/SiO₂ for CO and CO₂ hydrogenation, respectively. For all catalysts, the rate of methanol synthesis from CO₂/H₂ is higher than that from CO/H₂. The apparent activation energy for methanol synthesis from CO decreases from 22.5 to 17.5 kcal/mol with zirconia addition, suggesting that zirconia alters the reaction pathway. For CO₂ hydrogenation, the apparent activation energies (~12 kcal/mol) for methanol synthesis and the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction are not significantly affected by zirconia addition. While zirconia addition greatly increases the methanol synthesis rate for CO₂ hydrogenation, the effect on the RWGS reaction activity is comparatively small. The observed effects of zirconia are interpreted in terms of a mechanism which zirconia serves to adsorb either CO or CO₂, whereas Cu serves to adsorb H₂. It is proposed that methanol is formed by the hydrogenation of the species adsorbed on zirconia.     

CO2 reforming of methane over vanadia-promoted Rh/SiO2 catalysts

The reforming of methane with carbon dioxide over rhodium dispersed on silica, Rh/SiO₂, and vanadia-promoted silica, Rh/VO_x/SiO₂, was studied by kinetic test reactions under differential conditions in a temperature range from 723 to 773 K. Transmission infrared spectroscopy was applied to observe the interaction of CO₂ with the catalysts and the formation of surface intermediates during the CO₂–CH₄ reforming reaction. To analyze carbon deposition XP spectroscopy and TPO was carried out. It has been shown that the promotion of Rh/SiO₂ catalysts with vanadium oxide enhances the catalytic activity for CO₂ reforming of methane and decreases the deactivation by carbon deposition. This is attributed to the formation of a partial VO_x overlayer on the Rh surface, which reduces the size of accessible ensembles of Rh atoms required for coke formation and creates new sites at the Rh–VO_x interfacial region that are considered to be active sites for the activation/dissociation of carbon dioxide. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparative study of CO and CO2 hydrogenation over supported Rh–Fe catalysts

The hydrogenation of CO, CO + CO₂, and CO₂ over titania-supported Rh, Rh–Fe, and Fe catalysts was carried out in a fixed-bed micro-reactor system nominally operating at 543 K, 20 atm, 20 cm³ min^− 1 gas flow (corresponding to a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 8000 cm³ g_cat^− 1 h^− 1), with a H₂:(CO + CO₂) ratio of 1:1. A comparative study of CO and CO₂ hydrogenation shows that while Rh and Rh–Fe/TiO₂ catalysts exhibited appreciable selectivity to ethanol during CO hydrogenation, they functioned primarily as methanation catalysts during CO₂ hydrogenation. The Fe/TiO₂ sample was primarily a reverse water gas shift catalyst. Higher reaction temperatures favored methane formation over alcohol synthesis and reverse water gas shift. The effect of pressure was not significant over the range of 10 to 20 atm.     

The hydrogenation of CO over molybdenum/alumina in the presence of ethylene; coupling of olefin metathesis and CO hydrogenation

Three reactions, CO hydrogenation, metathesis of C₂H₄ and CO hydrogenation in the presence of C₂H₄, have been investigated on Mo(+2)/Al₂O₃ under identical experimental conditions. The products of hydrogenation reactions were methane, ethylene and propylene. The results show that the initial rate of propylene formation for CO hydrogenation in the presence of ethylene is much larger, by a factor of 7, than the sum of the rate of propylene formation for CO hydrogenation and metathesis alone. Furthermore, it was found that¹³C labelled propylene was formed in the hydrogenation of¹³CO in the presence of ethylene. These results, taken as a whole, suggest that the same intermediate is formed in both CO hydrogenation and metathesis of ethylene, and that these intermediates can be either incorporated into ethylene and higher hydrocarbons by polymerization or incorporated into ethylene to form propylene via olefin metathesis.