Mechanism of Methanol Synthesis on Cu through CO 2 and CO Hydrogenation
We present a comprehensive mean-field microkinetic model for the methanol synthesis and water-gas-shift (WGS) reactions that includes novel reaction intermediates, such as formic acid (HCOOH) and hydroxymethoxy (CH₃O₂) and allows for the formation of formic acid (HCOOH), formaldehyde (CH₂O), and methyl formate (HCOOCH₃) as byproducts. All input model parameters were initially derived from periodic, self-consistent, GGA-PW91 density functional theory calculations on the Cu(111) surface and subsequently fitted to published experimentalmethanol synthesis rate data, which were collected under realistic conditions on a commercial Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst. We find that the WGS reaction follows the carboxyl (COOH)-mediated path and that both CO and CO₂ hydrogenation pathways are active for methanol synthesis. Under typical industrial methanol synthesis conditions, CO₂ hydrogenation is responsible for ~2/3 of the methanol produced. The intermediates of the CO₂ pathway for methanol synthesis include HCOO*, HCOOH*, CH₃O₂*, CH₂O*, and CH₃O*. The formation of formate (HCOO*) from CO₂* and H* on Cu(111) does not involve an intermediate carbonate (CO₃*) species, and hydrogenation of HCOO* leads to HCOOH* instead of dioxymethylene (H₂CO₂*). The effect of CO is not only promotional; CO* is also hydrogenated in significant amounts to HCO*, CH₂O *, CH₃O*, and CH₃OH*. We considered two possibilities for CO promotion: (a) removal of OH* via COOH* to form CO₂ and hydrogen (WGS), and (b) CO-assisted hydrogenation of various surface intermediates, with HCO* being the H-donor. Only the former mechanism contributes to methanol formation, but its effect is small compared with that of direct CO hydrogenation to methanol. Overall, methanol synthesis rates are limited by methoxy (CH₃O*) formation at low CO₂/(CO+CO₂) ratios and by CH₃O* hydrogenation in CO₂-rich feeds. CH₃O* hydrogenation is the common slow step for both the CO and the CO₂ methanol synthesis routes; the relative contribution of each route is determined by their respective slow steps HCO*+H*→CH₂O*+* and HCOOH*+H*→CH₃O₂*+* as well as by feed composition and reaction conditions. An analysis of the fitted parameters for a commercial Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst suggests that a more open Cu surface, for example, Cu(110), Cu(100), and Cu(211) partially covered by oxygen, may provide a better model for the active site of methanol synthesis, but our studies cannot exclude a synergistic effect with the ZnO support.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1097982
- Journal Information:
- ACS Catalysis, Vol. 1, Issue 4; ISSN 2155-5435
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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