Shanxi Coal Chemical Institute has made progress in carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol technology

Recently, Shanxi Coal Chemical has made progress in the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to methanol technology
.
The research team led by Associate Researcher Zhao Ning worked closely with the research team in the institute to complete the industrial single-tube experiment of hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to methanol and achieved stable operation, marking a solid step towards industrialization of the technology
.
Methanol is one of the most important basic raw materials in the chemical industry.
It is mainly used to produce chemical products such as formaldehyde, dimethyl ether and acetic acid.
It can also be used to produce olefins (ethylene, propylene) and aromatics (benzene, toluene, xylene).
Gasoline and other chemicals or fuels, thereby partially alleviating dependence on petroleum resources
.
In addition, methanol is also a clean energy source and can be used as a fuel for internal combustion engines or fuel cells
.
Utilizing the carbon and oxygen resources in carbon dioxide and synthesizing methanol through the hydrogenation process will help to realize the recycling of carbon resources and reduce the dependence on fossil energy and resources, and at the same time reduce the burden on the environment
.
Since carbon dioxide is difficult to activate, the development of high-efficiency catalysts is the focus of research in the process of hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to methanol
.
Through years of systematic research, the research group has gained in-depth understanding of the design and preparation of copper-based catalysts, the structure-activity relationship of the catalysts, reaction processes, carbon dioxide activation and hydrogenation reaction mechanisms
.
The research results show that the CO2 conversion rate is related to the surface area of ​​Cu, and the selectivity of the target product methanol is related to the strong base sites on the catalyst surface and the special valence copper species (Cuα+)
.
The research results were published in high-level academic journals (J.
ofCatal.
, 2013, 298: 51-60; Appl.
Catal.
A: General, 2013, 468: 442-452; J.
ofCO2Utiliz.
, 2013, 2: 16- 23; Catal.
Sci.
Tech.
, 2012, 2(7): 1447-1454; 2015, 5, 4365-4377; Catal.
Today, 2012, 194(1): 9-15; Catal.
Comm.
, 2014, 50, 78-82; RSCAdvances, 2014, 4, 48888-48896; J.
of PowerSources 2014, 251, 113-121; Catalysis Letters, 2015, 145, 1177-1185; Appl.
Catal.
B: 2016, 191, 8-17)
.
On this basis, the research group developed a copper-based catalyst with independent intellectual property rights, authorized 2 national invention patents (201310175806.
X, 201410001618.
X), and realized the catalyst preparation and scale-up
.
The results of industrial single-tube experiments show that the performance of the catalyst has reached the domestic advanced level
.
The project was supported by Shanxi Provincial Coal-based Key Scientific and Technological Research Projects, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the National Science and Technology Support Program
.