Increasing energy costs have led to an interest in converting synthesis gas to alcohols and oxygenated fuel additives via catalytic CO hydrogenation. Modified copper-based catalysts have been widely studied for this reaction. A promising class of materials is based on rare earth oxide supports with cubic pyrochlore structures, such as La2Zr2O7, which have an excellent thermal and chemical stability. Here, a series of Cu-ZnO/La2Zr2O7/Li2O catalysts promoted with Mn or Co were tested for CO hydrogenation in a fixed bed microreactor system. The focus of the present study was to investigate the impact of temperature, pressure, H2/CO ratio, and space velocity on the activity and selectivity of these catalysts. The Co-promoted catalyst showed the highest CO conversion and C2+ alcohol selectivity with relatively lower methane selectivity. The total alcohol selectivity was 58% on this catalyst, which is greater than that reported in literature for similar Cu based catalysts.

Mn or Co promoted copper-rare earth oxide pyrochlore catalysts: Effect of reaction conditions on ethanol selectivity from syngas

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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