Porous MoxCy/SiO2 Material for CO2 Hydrogenation

The synthesis and characterization of an inexpensive porous Mo_xC_y/SiO₂ material is presented, which was obtained by mixing ammonium hexamolybdate, sucrose, and a mesoporous silica (SBA-15), with a subsequent heat treatment under inert atmosphere. This porous material presented a specific surface area of 170 m²/g. The catalytic behavior in CO₂ hydrogenation was compared with that of Mo₂C and α-MoC_1?x obtained from ammonium hexamolybdate and sucrose, using different Mo/C ratios. CO₂ hydrogenation tests were performed at moderate (100 kPa) and high pressures (2.0 MPa), and it was found that only CO, H₂O and CH₄ are formed at moderate pressures by the three materials, while at higher pressures, methanol and hydrocarbons (C₂H₆, C₃H₈) are also obtained. Differences in selectivity were observed at the high pressure tests. Mo₂C presented higher selectivity to CO and methanol compared with MoC_1?x, which showed preferential selectivity to hydrocarbons (CH₄, C₂H₆). The porous Mo_xC_y/SiO₂ material showed the highest CO₂ hydrogenation activity at high temperatures (270 and 300 °C), being a promising material for the conversion of CO₂ to CO and CH₄.

     

Effect of the Synthesis Method on Co-catalysts Based on MCM-41 for the Fischer–Tropsch Reaction

In this work, cobalt catalysts based on ordered mesoporous materials of the MCM-41 type were synthesized and characterized. The synthesis of the catalysts was performed by using different methods: impregnation; incorporation of the metal in the synthesis gel and ionic exchange of the metal by the template. Different characterization techniques were used (N₂ adsorption–desorption, XRD, TPR, SEM and XPS) to study the textural and structural properties of the samples and the metal-support interaction corresponding to each method of synthesis. These samples were tested in the CO Hydrogenation (Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis) by measuring the CO conversion and the selectivity to CO₂ and some groups of hydrocarbons chains. The results show that structural and textural properties as well as the metal-support interactions are affected by the synthesis method. According to this study, catalytic performance is related to the properties of the samples, observing that the metal support interaction highly affects the activity and selectivity of the catalysts.