Hydrogenation of CO2 over Fe-K based catalysts in a fixed bed reactors at elevated pressure

Catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂to produce hydrocarbons was conducted in a fixed bed reactor (1.6 cm-IDx60 cm-High). Fe-K based catalysts (KRICAT-A, B) were used for more than 850 hours to maintain CO₂ conversion level up to 30 C-mol% in the fixed bed micro-reactor. Effects of operating variables on the CO₂ conversion, hydrocarbon yield and its selectivity were investigated. The CO₂ conversion and total hydrocarbon yield increased with increasing reaction temperature (250-325 °C), pressure (0.5-2.5 MPa) and H₂/CO₂ mol ratio (2-5); however, they decreased with increasing space velocity (1,000-4,000 ml/g_cathr) in the reactor. The selectivities of liquid products increased with increasing reaction pressure; however, they decreased with increasing temperature, space velocity and H₂/CO₂ ratio. From the results of an experimental study, optimum operating conditions for the maximum yield of olefinic liquid products were found as T=315 °C, P=1.5 MPa, SV=2,000 ml/g_cathr and H₂/CO₂ ratio=3 in the fixed bed reactor within these experimental conditions. Presented at the Int’l Symp. on Chem. Eng. (Cheju, Feb. 8-10, 2001), dedicated to Prof. H. S. Chun on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.