Study of CO2 adsorption on a commercial CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst

Integration of Co Single Atoms and Ni Clusters on Defect-Rich ZrO2 for Strong Photothermal Coupling Boosts Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

We report a solvothermal method for the synthesis of an oxygen vacancy-enriched ZrO2 photocatalyst with Co single atoms and Ni clusters immobilized on the surface. This catalyst presents superior performance for the reduction of CO2 in H2O vapor, with a CO yield reaching 663.84 μmol g-1 h-1 and a selectivity of 99.52%. The total solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency is up to 0.372‰, which is among the highest reported values. The success, on one hand, depends on the Co single atoms and Ni clusters for both extended spectrum absorption and serving as dual-active centers for CO2 reduction and H2O dissociation, respectively; on the other hand, this is attributed to the enhanced photoelectric and thermal effect induced by concentrated solar irradiation. We demonstrate that an intermediate impurity state is formed by the hybridization of the d-orbital of single-atom Co with the molecular orbital of H2O, enabling visible-light-driven excitation over the catalyst. In addition, Ni clusters play a crucial role in altering the adsorption configuration of CO2, with the localized surface plasmon resonance effect enhancing the activation and dissociation of CO2 induced by visible-near-infrared light. This study provides valuable insights into the synergistic effect of the dual cocatalyst toward both efficient photothermal coupling and surface redox reactions for solar CO2 reduction.

CO2 and CO Capture on the ZnO Surface: A GCMC and Electronic Structure Study

The amount of polluting gases released into the atmosphere has grown drastically. Among them, it is possible to cite the release of CO2 and CO gases on a large scale as one of the products of the complete and incomplete combustion of petroleum-derived fuels. It is worth noting that the production of energy by burning fossil fuels supplies the energy demand but causes environmental damage, and several studies have addressed the reduction. One of them is using materials with the potential to capture these gases. The experimental and theoretical studies have significant contributions that promote advances in this area. Among the materials investigated, ZnO has emerged, demonstrating the considerable potential for capturing various gases, including CO2 and CO. This work used density functional theory (DFT) and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo Method (GCMC) to investigate the adsorption of CO2 and CO on the surface of Zinc oxide (ZnO) to obtain adsorption isotherms and interaction energy and the interaction nature. The results suggest that CO2 adsorption slightly changed the angle of the O-C-O to values less than 180°. For the CO, its carbon atom interacts simultaneously with Zn and O of the ZnO surface. However, CO interactions have an ionic character with a lower binding energy value than the CO2 interaction. The energies calculated using the PM6 and DFT methods generated results compatible with the experimental values. In applications involving a mixture of these two gases, the adsorption of CO2 should be favored, and there may be inhibition of the adsorption of CO for high CO2 concentrations.

Mg-incorporated sorbent for efficient removal of trace CO from H2 gas

Removal of trace CO impurities is an essential step in the utilization of Hydrogen as a clean energy source. While various solutions are currently employed to address this challenge, there is an urgent need to improve their efficiency. Here, we show that a bead-structured Mg, Cu, and Ce-based sorbent, Mg13CuCeOx, demonstrates superior removal capacity of trace CO from H2 with high stability. The incorporation of Mg boosts sorption performance by enhancing the porous structure and Cu+ surface area. Remarkably, compared to existing pelletized sorbents, Mg13CuCeOx exhibits 15.5 to 50 times greater equilibrium capacity under pressures below 10 Pa CO and 31 times longer breakthrough time in removing 50 ppm CO in H2. Energy-efficient oxidative regeneration using air at 120 °C allows its stable sorption performance over 20 cycles. Through in-situ DRIFTS analysis, we elucidate the reaction mechanism that Mg augments the surface OH groups, promoting the formation of bicarbonate and formate species. This study highlights the potential of MgCuCeOx sorbents in advancing the hydrogen economy by effectively removing trace CO from H2.

Core-shell silica@CuxZnAl LDH catalysts for efficient CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

The efficient production of methanol by reduction of CO2 using green hydrogen is a promising strategy from both a green chemistry and a carbon net zero perspective. Herein, we report the synthesis of well-dispersed core-shell catalyst precursors using silica@CuxZnAl-LDHs that can convert CO2 to methanol. The catalyst precursors can be formed using either a commercially available silica (ES757) or a mesoporous silica (e.g. MCM-48). These hybrid materials show significantly enhanced catalytic performance compared to the equivalent unsupported CuxZnAl LDH precursor. Space-time yields of up to 0.7 gMeOH gcat-1 h-1 under mild operating conditions were observed.

Development of Low-Cost Porous Carbons through Alkali Activation of Crop Waste for CO2 Capture

To achieve the "double carbon" (carbon peak and carbon neutrality) target, low-cost CO₂ capture at large CO₂ emission points is of great importance, during which the development of low-cost CO₂ sorbents will play a key role. Here, we chose peanut shells (P) from crop waste as the raw material and KOH and K₂CO₃ as activators to prepare porous carbons by a simple one-step activation method. Interestingly, the porous carbon showed a good adsorption capacity of 2.41 mmol/g for 15% CO₂ when the mass ratio of K₂CO₃ to P and the activation time were only 0.5 and 0.5 h, respectively, and the adsorption capacity remained at 98.76% after 10 adsorption-desorption cycle regenerations. The characterization results suggested that the activated peanut shell-based porous carbons were mainly microporous and partly mesoporous, and hydroxyl (O-H), ether (C-O), and pyrrolic nitrogen (N-5) functional groups that promoted CO₂ adsorption were formed during activation. In conclusion, KOH- and K₂CO₃-activated P, especially K₂CO₃-activated P, showed good CO₂ adsorption and regeneration performance. In addition, not only the use of a small amount of the activator but also the raw material of crop waste reduces the sorbent preparation costs and CO₂ capture costs.

Cu/Zn/Zr/Ga Catalyst for Utilisation of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol—Kinetic Equations

This paper presents the kinetics of methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide and hydrogen over a Cu/Zn/Zr/Ga catalyst. Kinetic studies were carried out in a continuous-flow fixed-bed reactor in a temperature range from 433 to 513 K, pressures from 3 to 8 MPa, and GHSV from 1660 to 10,000 1/h for initial molar fractions of hydrogen from about 0.48 to 0.70, carbon dioxide from 0.05 to about 0.22, and carbon monoxide from 0 to about 0.07. Significant effects of temperature and the composition of the reaction mixture on the conversion degrees α1 and α2 were found. The Cu/Zn/Zr/Ga catalyst showed good stability over 960 h. XRD and CO2TPD characterisation were performed. Thefinally obtained results of kinetic tests were developed in the form of Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic equations. The numerical Levenberg–Marquardt method was used to estimate the kinetic equations. The average relative error of fitting the kinetic equations to the experimental data was 18%.

Modification of CuO–ZrO2–ZnO Mixed Oxide Catalyst with Mn, Ga, Ni: Impact on Physicochemical Properties and Hydrogen Production via Low Temperature Steam Reforming of Ethanol

The influence of CuO/ZrO2/ZnO (Cu/Zr/Zn) catalyst modification with Mn, Ni, Ga on the physicochemical properties and activity toward hydrogen production in steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) reaction has been evaluated. The increase in hydrogen yield and the lowest selectivity to acetaldehyde were observed upon Cu/Zr/Zn modification with Mn and Ga. The physicochemical characterisation of spent catalysts revealed changes in catalysts phase compositions and reducibility. In the case of Cu/Zr/Zn, Cu/Zr/Zn/Ni and Cu/Zr/Zn/Ga catalysts, the CuO phase was reduced to metallic phase and Cu2O. Therefore, these spent catalysts exhibited lower reduction degree (Rd) in comparison with fresh catalysts. On the other hand, the addition of Mn preserved the copper on + 2 oxidation state during SRE reaction as indicated by XRD and XPS. The µRaman experiments showed that carbon deposit is formed only on the surface of Cu/Zr/Zn/Ni catalyst, which is the reason for the vast deactivation and the lower total activity of this catalyst in SRE. This was also supported by XPS which additionally showed interaction of carbon containing by-products with the surface active sites. In the case of other synthesised catalysts, no carbon formation was stated.

Graphical Abstract

The development of activated carbon from corncob for CO2 capture

The accumulation and incineration of crop waste pollutes the environment and releases a large amount of CO2.

Immobilization of Potassium-Based Heterogeneous Catalyst over Alumina Beads and Powder Support in the Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil

In this work, the beads and powder potassium hydroxide (KOH) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3) supported on alumina oxide (Al2O3) were successfully prepared via incipient wetness impregnation technique. Herein, the perforated hydrophilic materials (PHM) made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was used as the catalyst reactor bed. The prepared catalysts were investigated using TGA, XRD, BET, SEM-EDX, TPD, FTIR while spent catalysts were analyzed using XRF and ICP-AES to study its deactivation mechanism. The catalytic performance of beads and powder KOH/Al2O3 and K2CO3/Al2O3 catalysts were evaluated via transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) to biodiesel. It was found that the optimum conditions for transesterification reaction were 1:12 of oil-to-methanol molar ratio and 5 wt.% of catalyst at 65 °C. As a result, the mesoporous size of beads KOH/Al2O3 and K2CO3/Al2O3 catalysts yielded 86.8% and 77.3% at 2 h’ reaction time of fatty acids methyl ester (FAME), respectively. It was revealed that the utilization of PHM for beads K2CO3/Al2O3 increase the reusability of the catalyst up to 7 cycles. Furthermore, the FAME produced was confirmed by the gas chromatography-mass spectroscopic technique. From this finding, beads KOH/Al2O3 and K2CO3/Al2O3 catalysts showed a promising performance to convert WCO to FAME or known as biodiesel.