An Efficient Catalyst Derived from Carboxylated Lignin-Anchored Iron Nanoparticle Compounds for Carbon Monoxide Hydrogenation Application

[Image: see text] Catalytic activity and target product selectivity are strongly correlated to the size, crystallographic phase, and morphology of nanoparticles. In this study, waste lignin from paper pulp industry is employed as the carbon source, which is modified with carboxyl groups at the molecular level to facilitate anchoring of metals, and a new type of carbon-based catalyst was obtained after carbonization. As a result, the size of the metal particles is effectively controlled by the chelation between −COO(–) and Fe(3+). Furthermore, Fe/CM-CL with a particle size of 1.5–2.5 nm shows excellent catalytic performance, the conversion of carbon monoxide reaches 82.3%, and the selectivity of methane reaches 73.2%.