(123c) Intensifying Thermocatalytic Methanol Synthesis Using Electrochemical H2 Activation

The alarming increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration over the past century has driven significant global efforts to decarbonize chemical manufacturing through electrification and carbon reuse. The hydrogenation of CO₂ to valuable platform chemicals like methanol has gained significant attention, owing to the use of methanol as a raw material for numerous applications in chemical manufacturing. Advances in water electrolysis and renewable energy generation lend well to the use of electrolytic green hydrogen to convert CO₂ to methanol via established thermochemical processes.[1] Our lab is exploring the possibility of making further use of renewable electricity to intensify thermocatalytic methanol synthesis.

This presentation will discuss our work to build reactors that use electrochemical activation to drive methanol synthesis from syngas and CO₂/hydrogen mixtures under milder conditions (i.e., lower temperature and pressure) than can be achieved using thermal activation alone. Our approach involves using membrane electrode assemblies, analogous to those found in hydrogen fuel cells, to activate and deliver protons and electrons to a CO/CO₂ hydrogenation catalyst under a potential bias. We will discuss the construction and operation of these reactors along with studies directed at the hypothesis that conventional Cu-based syngas-methanol catalysts remain highly effective in this reactor configuration.[2] We will also discuss work to explore oxide-based catalysts that may benefit from the ability to accept reactive hydrogen as protons and electrons without the need to break H-H bonds.[3]

1. Jiang, Xiao, et al. "Recent advances in carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol via heterogeneous catalysis." Chemical Reviews15 (2020): 7984-8034.
2. Zhang, Sheng, et al. "CO2 reduction: from homogeneous to heterogeneous electrocatalysis." Accounts of Chemical Research1 (2020): 255-264.
3. Martin, Oliver, et al. "Indium oxide as a superior catalyst for methanol synthesis by CO2 hydrogenation." Angewandte Chemie International Edition21 (2016): 6261-6265.