Chemical state of copper during methanol synthesis

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · J. Catal.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9517(86)90063-1· OSTI ID:5368145

Chinchen, G C; Waugh, K C

Industrial methanol synthesis catalysts are generally based on CuO/ZnO/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ or CuO/ZnO/Cr/sub 2/O/sub 3/ systems. There has been much discussion recently about the mechanism of synthesis on these catalysts and it is clearly not yet fully understood. Indeed there is still controversy about the nature of the active sites and more specifically about the chemical state of the copper component during methanol synthesis. It seems that more than one mechanism may lead to methanol but that under the conditions usually employed industrially, i.e., with synthesis gases containing both CO and CO/sub 2/, the hydrogenation of CO/sub 2/ predominates (7,8) and copper is the active component. In this report N/sub 2/O chemisorption data are presented from in situ studies on a commercial CuO/ZnO/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ (60:30:10) methanol synthesis catalyst which has been operating in microreactor systems at pressures up to 100 atm. These data strongly suggest that the working surface of this catalyst is by no means entirely metallic copper under typical methanol synthesis conditions, and has up to 40% of a monolayer of oxygen atoms on it depending on the CO/sub 2//CO ratio of the synthesis gas. 20 references.

• Research Organization: ICI PLC, Billingham (England)
• OSTI ID: 5368145
• Journal Information: J. Catal.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Catal.; (United States) Vol. 97:1; ISSN JCTLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
ALCOHOLS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CATALYSIS
CATALYST SUPPORTS
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL STATE
CHEMISORPTION
COPPER
COPPER COMPOUNDS
COPPER OXIDES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGENATION
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
KINETICS
METALS
METHANATION
METHANOL
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NITROUS OXIDE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
QUANTITY RATIO
REACTION KINETICS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SORPTION
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS GAS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
ZINC COMPOUNDS
ZINC OXIDES