Catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 into methanol using Cu-ZrO2 based nanocatalyst.

Anthropogenic greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere because of the combustion of fossil fuels based on carbon such as oil, coal, natural gas, etc. Due to the rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations CO2 utilization has become an important concern globally. CO2 can either be stored or converted into some value-added chemicals. Storing CO2 requires space and setup but converting it into other compounds has gained interest over the years. This study aims to hydrogenate CO2 into methanol, which is a fuel and an intermediate in the production of different chemicals such as acetic acid, and formaldehyde etc. As part of this study, we examined three samples; two consisted of copper, alumina, zinc oxide, and zirconium oxide powders mixed and converted into pellets (Cu_ZnO_ZrO2_Al2O3), while the third was a Cu_(111)_CuOx_ZrO2 thin film generated by the XPS instrument. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyse the species formed during the hydrogenation of CO2. The hydrogenation of CO2 can occur in two ways: a Reverse Water Gas Shift (RWGS) pathway or a formate pathway; our study found a RWGS pathway. The comparative study between the Cu-based catalyst and Cu thin films shows that the thin films are more effective at producing RWGS, a critical intermediate in the production of methanol.