Copper-doped ZnO-ZrO(2) solid solution catalysts for promoting methanol synthesis from CO(2) hydrogenation

Copper-doped ZnO-ZrO(2) solid solution catalysts were synthesized via co-precipitation for promoting CH(3)OH synthesis via hydrogenation of CO(2). Various testing methods were applied to investigate the effect of various copper contents on the catalysts. The catalytic performance was evaluated by a fixed bed reactor. XRD, HRTEM and Raman spectra collectively indicated that a ZnO-ZrO(2) solid solution catalyst with 3% Cu had a higher Cu dispersion, while the H(2)-TPR results confirmed that a catalyst with 3% Cu had more Cu active sites under low temperature H(2) pretreatment. When the copper content increased to 5% and 10%, the catalyst showed a better Cu crystallinity and a worse Cu dispersion, which could have a negative effect. Therefore, the CO(2) conversion and methanol yield with a 3% CuZnO-ZrO(2) catalyst at 5 MPa, 250°C and 12 000 ml/(g h) increased by 8.6% and 7.6%, respectively. Moreover, the CH(3)OH selectivity and catalytic stability of the solid solution catalyst were better than those of the traditional CZA catalyst.