The Function of Hydrotalcite as a Support Material in the Alcohol‐Assisted Catalytic CO₂ Hydrogenation Reaction

Abstract

The traditional CO2 hydrogenation reaction in gas phase always requires harsh reaction conditions to activate CO2, resulting in huge energy consumption. However, with the assistance of 1‐butanol solvent, catalytic CO2 hydrogenation can be proceeded at a mild condition of 170 °C and 30 bars. To further improve the catalytic performance of the widely studied Cu‐ZnO‐ZrO2 catalyst (CZZ), the catalysts were modified by incorporating hydrotalcite (HTC) as a support material. The addition of HTC significantly improved the copper dispersion and surface area of the catalyst. The performance of CZZ‐HTC catalysts was investigated at varying weight percentages of HTC, and all showed higher space‐time yield of methanol (STYMeOH) compared to the commercial catalyst. Notably, CZZ‐6HTC exhibited the highest methanol selectivity, further highlighting the beneficial role of HTC as a support material.