Liquid phase methanol and dimethyl ether synthesis from syngas

The Liquid Phase Methanol Synthesis (LPMeOH^TM) process has been investigated in our laboratories since 1982The reaction chemistry of liquid phase methanol synthesis over commercial Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts, established for diverse feed gas conditions including H₂-rich, CO-rich, CO₂-rich, and CO-free environments, is predominantly based on the CO₂ hydrogenation reaction and the forward water-gas shift reactionImportant aspects of the liquid phase methanol synthesis investigated in this in-depth study include global kinetic rate expressions, external mass transfer mechanisms and rates, correlation for the overall gas-to-liquid mass transfer rate coefficient, computation of the multicomponent phase equilibrium and prediction of the ultimate and isolated chemical equilibrium compositions, thermal stability analysis of the liquid phase methanol synthesis reactor, investigation of pore diffusion in the methanol catalyst, and elucidation of catalyst deactivation/regenerationThese studies were conducted in a mechanically agitated slurry reactor as well as in a liquid entrained reactorA novel liquid phase process for co-production of dimethyl ether (DME) and methanol has also been developedThe process is based on dual-catalytic synthesis in a single reactor stage, where the methanol synthesis and water gas shift reactions takes place over Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts and the in-situ methanol dehydration reaction takes place over -Al₂O₃ catalystCo-production of DME and methanol can increase the single-stage reactor productivity by as much as 80%. By varying the mass ratios of methanol synthesis catalyst to methanol dehydration catalyst, it is possible to co-produce DME and methanol in any fixed proportion, from 5% DME to 95% DMEAlso, dual catalysts exhibit higher activity, and more importantly these activities are sustained for a longer catalyst on-stream life by alleviating catalyst deactivation.     

Liquid-phase preparation of catalysts used in slurry reactors to synthesize dimethyl ether from syngas: Effect of heat-treatment atmosphere

A CuZnAl slurry catalyst was prepared directly from a solution of metal salts by an entirely liquid-phase method. The influence of heat-treatment atmospheres with different proportions of CO₂ on the single-step synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from syngas was investigated and the catalysts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), H₂ temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR), temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry (TG-MS). Results showed that the introduction of CO₂ into the heat-treatment atmosphere made it easier to reduce the catalyst. It also adjusted the Cu⁰/Cu⁺ ratio on the catalyst surface, the CO₂ reacting with the metallic carbide there to form CO, which then reduced part of the Cu₂O to Cu. Moreover, it was concluded that the final phase structure of the catalyst and the Cu/Zn ratio on its surface depended mainly on its composition and the reaction environment and less so on the heat-treatment atmosphere. In the DME synthesis reaction, it was found that the introduction of CO₂ into the heat-treatment atmosphere restrained the water–gas shift reaction and raised the DME selectivity. An optimal amount of CO₂ in the heat-treatment atmosphere favored the increase of the DME space–time yield. The catalysts performed best when the heat-treatment atmosphere contained 50% CO₂.     

Direct synthesis of dimethyl ether from carbon-monoxide-rich synthesis gas: Influence of dehydration catalysts and operating conditions

Various dehydration catalysts were studied in the synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) directly from carbon-monoxide-rich synthesis gas under a series of different reaction conditions. The investigated catalyst systems consisted of combinations of a methanol catalyst (CuO/ZnO system) with catalysts for methanol dehydration based on γ-Al₂O₃ or zeolites and γ-Al₂O₃ was identified as the most favorable dehydration catalyst. Various reaction parameters such as temperature, H₂/CO ratio and space velocity were studied. The impact of water on Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃-γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts was investigated and no deactivation could be observed at water contents below 10% during running times of several hours. A running time of several days and a water content of 10% led to a significant increase of CO conversion but the water gas shift reaction became dominating and CO₂ was the main product. After termination of water feeding significant deactivation of the catalyst system was observed but the system returned to high DME selectivity. Catalyst stability and the influence of CO₂ in the gas feed were studied in experiments lasting for about three weeks. The presence of 8% of CO₂ caused an approximately 10% lower CO conversion and an about 5% lower DME selectivity compared to the reaction system without CO₂.     

Deactivation of Cu/ZnO catalyst during dehydrogenation of methanol

The deactivation of Cu/ZnO catalyst during methanol dehydrogenation to form methyl formate has been studied. The Cu/ZnO catalyst was seriously deactivated under the reaction conditions: various temperatures of 493, 523 and 553 K, atmospheric pressure and methanol GHSV of 3000 ml (STP)/g-cat h. The weight loss due to reduction of ZnO in the Cu/ ZnO catalyst was monitored by a microbalance. X-ray induced Auger spectroscopy of Zn(L₃M_4,5M_4,5) showed the increase in the concentration of metallic Zn on the catalyst surface after the reaction. Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) of the Cu/ZnO catalyst with methanol demonstrated that the reduction of ZnO in Cu/ ZnO was suppressed by introduction of CO₂ into the stream of helium-methanol. As the concentration of CO₂ in the feed gas increased, the weight loss of the Cu/ZnO catalyst due to the reduction of ZnO decreased. The deactivation of the Cu/ZnO catalyst in the methanol dehydrogenation was also retarded by the addition of CO₂. In particular, oxygen injection into the reactant feed regenerated the Cu/ ZnO catalyst deactivated during the reaction. Based on these observations, the cause of deactivation of the Cu/ZnO catalyst has been discussed.     

Single-step synthesis of DME from syngas on Cu–ZnO–Al2O3/zeolite bifunctional catalysts: The superiority of ferrierite over the other zeolites

Single-step synthesis of DME was studied on four different bifunctional catalysts containing Cu–ZnO–Al₂O₃ as the common methanol synthesis component and ferrierite, ZSM-5, NaY or HY, as the solid acid component. The catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation of the metallic component in the slurry of the zeolite, and were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, XRD and ammonia TPD. Cu–ZnO–Al₂O₃/ferrierite is found to be superior to the other catalysts in terms of better conversion and DME selectivity because of facile reducibility of the metal component, suitable topology, proper acidic property and resistance towards catalyst deactivation.     

Promoting effect of an aluminum emulsion on catalytic performance of Cu-based catalysts for methanol synthesis from syngas

Copper-based catalysts modified with aluminum precursors having different morphologies for methanol synthesis were prepared and the effect of the addition of aluminum emulsion on the characteristics of the catalyst was studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and differential thermal gravity (DTG). The experiment results show that the copper-based catalyst prepared by mixing a Cu-Zn precipitate with an amorphous aluminum emulsion prepared in advance by precipitating an aluminum salt with ammonia exhibits higher specific surface area and catalytic performance for methanol synthesis from synthesis gas. The catalysts thus prepared were found to have more (Cu,Zn)₂CO₃(OH)₂ phase, from which more Cu/Zn sosoloid was produced during calcination. More sosoloid phase produced and stronger synergy between Cu and ZnO were verified to enhance the activity of the catalyst for methanol synthesis.     

Cu/ZnO/AlOOH catalyst for methanol synthesis through CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> hydrogenation

Catalytic conversion of CO₂ to methanol is gaining attention as a promising route to using carbon dioxide as a new carbon feedstock. AlOOH supported copper-based methanol synthesis catalyst was investigated for direct hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol. The bare AlOOH catalyst support was found to have increased adsorption capacity of CO₂ compared to conventional Al₂O₃ support by CO₂ temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and FT-IR analysis. The catalytic activity measurement was carried out in a fixed bed reactor at 523 K, 30 atm and GHSV 6,000 hr^?1 with the feed gas of CO₂/H₂ ratio of 1/3. The surface basicity of the AlOOH supported Cu-based catalysts increased linearly according to the amount of AlOOH. The optimum catalyst composition was found to be Cu : Zn : Al=40 : 30 : 30 at%. A decrease of methanol productivity was observed by further increasing the amount of AlOOH due to the limitation of hydrogenation rate on Cu sites. The AlOOH supported catalyst with optimum catalyst compositions was slightly more active than the conventional Al₂O₃ supported Cu-based catalyst.     

Highly Active CNT-Promoted Cu–ZnO–Al2O3 Catalyst for Methanol Synthesis from H2/CO/CO2

With types of in-house-synthesized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the nitrates of the corresponding metallic components, highly active CNT-promoted Cu–ZnO–Al₂O₃ catalysts, symbolized as Cu _i Zn _j Al _k -x%CNTs, were prepared by the co-precipitation method. Their catalytic performance for methanol synthesis from H₂/CO/CO₂ was studied and compared with the corresponding CNT-free co-precipitated catalyst, Cu _i Zn _j Al _k . It was shown experimentally that appropriate incorporation of a minor amount of the CNTs into the Cu _i Zn _j Al _k could significantly increase the catalyst activity for methanol synthesis. Under the reaction conditions of 493 K, 5.0 MPa, H_2/CO/CO₂/N₂ = 62/30/5/3 (v/v), GHSV = 8000 h^-1, the observed CO conversion and methanol formation rate over a co-precipitated catalyst of Cu₆Zn₃Al₁-12.5%CNTs reached 36.8% and 0.291 mol CH₃OH s^-1 (m²-surf. Cu)^-1, which was about 44 and 25% higher than those (25.5% and 0.233 mol CH₃OH s^-1 (m²-surf. Cu)^-1) over the corresponding CNT-free co-precipitated catalyst, Cu₆Zn₃Al₁. Addition of a minor amount (10–15 wt%) of the CNTs to the Cu₆Zn₃Al₁ catalyst was found to considerably increase specific surface area, especially Cu surface area of the catalyst. H₂-TPD measurements revealed that the CNTs and the pre-reduced CNT-promoted catalyst systems could reversibly adsorb and store a considerably greater amount of hydrogen under atmospheric pressure at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 573 K. This unique feature would be beneficial for generating microenvironments with higher stationary-state concentration of active hydrogen adspecies on the surface of the functioning catalyst, especially at the interphasial active sites since the highly conductive CNTs might promote hydrogen spillover from the Cu sites to the Cu/Zn interphasial active sites, and thus be favorable for increasing the rate of the CO hydrogenation reactions. Alternatively, the operation temperature for methanol synthesis over the CNT-promoted catalysts can be 15–20 degrees lower than that over the corresponding CNT-free contrast system. This would contribute considerably to an increase in equilibrium CO conversion and CH₃OH yield. The results of the present work indicated that the CNTs could serve as an excellent promoter.     

Roles of interaction between components in CZZA/HZSM-5 catalyst for dimethyl ether synthesis via CO2 hydrogenation

The roles of interaction between two catalyst components in CuO–ZnO–ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ (CZZA)/HZSM-5 bifunctional catalyst for dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis via carbon dioxide hydrogenation were investigated. It was found that CZZA catalyst showed excellent stability during methanol (MeOH) synthesis for 100 h, while there was a severe loss of catalytic activity in the bifunctional catalyst for DME synthesis. Hence, the effects of different degrees of intimacy of two catalyst components were studied for DME synthesis, including mixed and separated modes. For the mixed mode, the particle size of catalysts and the amount of reaction intermediates were proven to influence the catalyst deactivation. For the separated mode, the catalysts showed rapid deactivation within a short time. Various characterizations indicated that the remarkable deactivation of separated mode was mainly caused by the decrease of copper active centers (e.g., sintering and oxidation) and blockage of acid sites via increased coke deposition on HZSM-5.     

Synthesis of AlOOH slurry catalyst and catalytic activity for methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether

AlOOH slurry catalysts were prepared by complete liquid-phase technology from aluminum iso-propoxide (AIP). Dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether (DME) over these catalysts was investigated in slurry reactor. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃–TPD). The results showed that the slurry catalysts had high specific surface area and pore volume, and the specific surface area and the strength of weak acidic sites were influenced considerably by the molar ratio of H₂O/AIP and HNO₃/AIP. Activity tests indicated that AlOOH slurry catalysts had excellent catalytic activity and stability in slurry reactor for the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether, and the activity correlated well with the strength of weak acidic sites of catalysts, which can be controlled by changing the H₂O/AIP and HNO₃/AIP molar ratios. The average methanol conversion at even stage reaches nearly 80% and DME selectivity almost 100% over CAT-P1 catalyst. No deactivation was found during the reaction of 500 h. It is also expected that CAT-P1 becomes a promising methanol dehydration catalyst for the STD process based on CuZuAl methanol synthesis catalyst.     

The Structure Properties of CuZnAl Slurry Catalysts Prepared by a Complete Liquid-Phase Method and its Catalytic Performance for DME Synthesis from Syngas

Four CuZnAl slurry catalysts with different contents of Al were directly prepared from the solution of these metal salts to catalyst slurry by a complete liquid-phase method. The structure properties of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET, XPS, FTIR, and their catalytic performances for the single-step synthesis of Dimethyl ether (DME) from syngas were evaluated in a slurry reactor of 250 mL with a mechanical magnetic agitator. The results indicate the main phase existed in the catalysts are Cu, Cu₂O, ZnO and boehmite (AlOOH) and the structures of pore and surface are comparable with those of the commercial methanol synthesis catalysts. Activity tests show that the slurry catalysts are quite effective for the single-step synthesis of DME from syngas. Among them, the catalyst with 2.09 mol% Al is best, whose DME selectivity reaches 93.08%. All of the catalysts prepared by the novel method exhibit good stability during the reaction time investigated for 18 days.     

Effects and Control of Steam in the Systems of Methanol and DME Synthesis from Syngas over Cu-based Catalysts

Effects of steam in the systems of methanol synthesis over CuZnOAl₂O₃ catalyst and one-step DME synthesis over CuZnOAl₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃-HZSM-5 were investigated, respectively. The results showed that there were two different effects in both systems: for the former (methanol synthesis), a little steam (<10%) in the feed gas increased the catalytic activity and stability; for the latter (DME synthesis) where steam was created significantly, presence of steam in the feed gas accelerated sintering of Cu particles and deactivation velocity. The results of hydro-thermal treatment of pre-reduced CuZnOAl₂O₃ catalyst showed that high temperature (>240 °C) and high steam content (>10%) can greatly enhance the sintering velocity of Cu crystalline. Commercial nano-SiO₂ and nano-Al₂O₃ with high surface area were utilized to control the steam concentration in the system of one-step DME synthesis. Owing to their hydrophilic surface, however, neither of them depressed the deactivation velocity effectively. The pre-treatment of nano-SiO₂ support with alcohol can change the surface of the support from hydrophilic to hydrophobic property, which can be found to control the steam surrounding the active metallic Cu and keep the catalytic stability.     

CO2加氢一步制二甲醚展望

CO₂加氢制二甲醚（DME）是有潜力实现CO₂资源化利用的重要途径之一。与光、电催化相比,CO₂的非均相催化转化具有转化效率高等优点,但目前CO₂加氢一步制备DME催化剂的反应活性较低、稳定性较差。本文在简要介绍CO₂加氢一步制DME的铜基双功能催化剂、复合氧化物和氮化镓催化剂的基础上,重点总结了活性中心结构和反应机理的研究进展。对于铜基双功能催化剂,CO₂加氢经甲醇中间体合成DME,其中还原态铜（Cu⁰、Cu⁺及Cu ^δ+,0<δ<2）是其催化活性中心,且还原态铜的分散度及稳定性、固体酸的性质和酸性位分布以及两类活性中心的耦合效应是决定DME收率和催化剂稳定性的关键因素。与此相反,DME是氮化镓催化CO₂加氢的初级产物。这与铜基双功能催化剂有着本质区别,属新催化剂体系。在此基础上,文章对CO₂加氢制DME的可能研究方向进行了展望,认为“二甲醚经济”更具发展潜力。     

浆态床合成二甲醚用CuZnAlSi催化剂的完全液相法制备及表征

采用完全液相法制备了不同SiO₂含量的二甲醚(DME)合成CuZnAlSi双功能催化剂,并在浆态床反应器中评价其催化反应活性,通过in-situ XPS、XRD、BET、NH₃-TPD等方法对其物理化学性能进行研究。结果表明,CuZnAl催化剂中加入SiO₂组分,能够促进活性组分Cu的分散,并通过与AlOOH的作用调变催化剂的孔结构和表面酸性,从而提高催化剂在DME合成反应中的活性。准原位 XPS表征结果显示,还原后的催化剂表面Cu⁰和ZnO共同构成DME合成反应中的甲醇合成活性中心。SiO₂的加入可能导致Cu、Zn和Al组分间的相互作用减弱,催化剂稳定性降低。     

The Deactivation Modes of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 and HZSM-5 Physical Mixture in the One-Step DME Synthesis

The CO₂ production by shift reaction and the deactivation process are the drawbacks of the One-Step DME Synthesis. Therefore, this contribution discusses possible deactivation modes taking into account the catalytic performance and the characterization of spent catalysts using XRD, TG and FTIR techniques. For this purpose a physical mixture that contains a commercial methanol catalyst and ZSM-5 was employed. It can be suggested that one of the main modes of catalyst deactivation is the hydrocarbon formation by MTG reactions. Changes in the interaction between Cu⁰ and ZnO should also be considered. The results show that both of them are affected by H₂/CO ratio.     

Thermal and chemical stability of Cu–Zn–Cr-LDHs prepared by accelerated carbonation

Layered double hydroxides Cu_xZn_6 − xCr₂(OH)₁₆(CO₃)·4H₂O with different molar ratios of Cu/Zn/Cr were synthesized by accelerated carbonation. The products were characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR and TG-DTG-DSC-MS. The chemical stability was tested by the modified Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). The results showed that the products were the mixture of Cu_xZn_6 − xCr₂(OH)₁₆(CO₃)·4H₂O and (CuZn)₂(CO₃)(OH)₂, with similar thermal behavior. All products were chemically stable with reduced leaching at pH > 6 (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺) or > 5 (Cr³⁺).     

Adsorption and Deactivation Characteristics of Cu/ZnO-Based Catalysts for Methanol Synthesis from Carbon Dioxide

The adsorption and deactivation characteristics of coprecipitated Cu/ZnO-based catalysts were examined and correlated to their performance in methanol synthesis from CO₂ hydrogenation. The addition of Ga₂O₃ and Y₂O₃ promoters is shown to increase the Cu surface area and CO₂/H₂ adsorption capacities of the catalysts and enhance methanol synthesis activity. Infrared studies showed that CO₂ adsorbs spontaneously on these catalysts at room temperature as both mono- and bi-dentate carbonate species. These weakly bound species desorb completely from the catalyst surface by 200 °C while other carbonate species persist up to 500 °C. Characterization using N₂O decomposition, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis clearly indicated that Cu sintering is the main cause of catalyst deactivation. Ga and Y promotion improves the catalyst stability by suppressing the agglomeration of Cu and ZnO particles under pretreatment and reaction conditions.     

The performance and structural study of CuNi alloy catalysts for methanol synthesis

Novel CuxNiy/γ-Al₂O₃ alloy catalysts were prepared and studied for methanol synthesis from CO/CO₂ hydrogenation. The structure of the catalysts was characterized using N₂ adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature-programmed reduction. The characterization results demonstrated the formation of CuNi alloy. The strong interaction between Cu and Ni had a promotion effect for methanol synthesis. Cu₃Ni₇/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibited the highest formation rate of CH₃OH, which is 5.86 mmol/g h, much higher than the commercial Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst at the same reaction conditions.     

Carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol over the pre-reduced LaCr0.5Cu0.5O3 catalyst

The synthesis of methanol from CO₂ hydrogenation was carried out over the pre-reduced Cu-based LaCr_0.5Cu_0.5O₃ catalyst. It showed a much higher catalytic performance (X_CO2 = 10.4% and S_MeOH = 90.8%) at 250 °C than over 13% Cu/LaCrO₃ prepared by wet-impregnation method (X_CO2 = 4.8% and S_MeOH = 46.6%). XRD, H₂/CO₂-TPD and XPS measurements illustrated that hydrogen was adsorbed on the Cu^α+ sites and that CO₂ was activated on the medium basic sites for the reduced LaCr_0.5Cu_0.5O₃. This phenomenon was responsible for its catalytic activity.     

Selective kinetic deactivation model for methanol synthesis from simultaneous reaction of CO2 and CO with H2 on a commercial copper/zinc oxide catalyst

A kinetic model for the deactivation of copper/zinc oxide catalyst during the methanol synthesis has been developed. This model is of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson type and considers two types of active sites for the deactivation of catalyst. One of the site types on copper is allocated for the deactivation of the catalyst due to carbon dioxide while another type is assigned for the deactivation of the catalyst due to carbon monoxide. The parameters of the deactivation rate equations based on the above concept have been determined using the experimental data of Hoffmann (1993). The validity of the deactivation model has been checked by comparing the results predicted by the model with experimental data different than of those used to evaluate the parameters of the model. The good agreement that noticed in this comparison confirmed the idea that CO and CO₂ are responsible at different extent for the deactivation of Cu/ZnO catalyst during methanol synthesis.