PHASES IN THE ACTIVE LIQUID PHASE METHANOL SYNTHESIS CATALYST

An attempt has been made to identify the phases present in the active catalyst for liquid phase methanol synthesis. X-ray powder diffraction was used to identify the phases. Only metallic Cu was detected, while no Cu species was found to be present. A significant amount of ZnCO₃ was found to be present in catalysts which had been subjected to high partial pressures of C0₂. This fact has hitherto not been reported in literature. Some speculations about the effect of ZnCO₃ on the life of the catalyst are made.