Photochemical Conversion of CO₂into Methyl Alcohol Using SiC Micropowder under UV Light

Abstract

In our study, microparticles SiC powder was investigated as a catalyst for CO2 photoreduction into methanol under UV light. The photochemical conversion of methanol was studied as function of time of exposition, the concentration and the grain size of the catalyst. The selectivity of the used catalyst to promote methanol formation was noticed. It was noticed also that the grain size and concentration have a great impact on the photochemical conversion of CO2 to methanol. The best yield of methanol was achieved when a concentration of 0.75 M of SiC powder of 17 µm grain size and an exposure time to UV light of 2 h where assured. Maximum molar concentration of methanol achieved was under UV irradiation of 365 nm. Therefore, the catalytic property of silicon carbide has proved its efficiency in the photochemical conversion of CO2 into alcohol thus far under UV light.

Porous Silicon Carbide (SiC): A Chance for Improving Catalysts or Just Another Active-Phase Carrier?

“…728 Kaci and co-workers reported later on the effects of SiC grain size and concentration on the ultimate photochemical conversion of CO 2 to MeOH under material UV light (365 nm) irradiation. 729 In the same years, Wang et al have also presented the use of microsized SiC granules recovered from silicon sludge wastes as effective photocatalysts for the CO 2 reduction and reductive coupling under UV−vis-IR irradiation (253−2000 Wang and collaborators have described an interesting synthetic approach to the control of selectivity in SiC-based photoelectrocatalysts applied to CO 2 reduction. 731−733 They proposed the use of reduced graphene-oxide (RGO) as a sacrificial carbon template for the of ultrathin SiC nanosheets (NSs) featured by high crystallinity and an intimate 2D/2D heterojunction with the C source.…”

“…Indeed, with the latter, they found a reduced photonic efficiency and a selectivity as low as 50% of that obtained with the laser irradiation . Kaci and co-workers reported later on the effects of SiC grain size and concentration on the ultimate photochemical conversion of CO 2 to MeOH under material UV light (365 nm) irradiation …”