The promoting effect of alcohols in a new process of low-temperature synthesis of methanol from CO/CO2/H2

The catalytic promoting effects of eleven different alcohols, as reaction medium, on the synthesis of methanol from feed gas of CO/CO2/H2 on Cu/ZnO solid catalyst were investigated. Added alcohol altered the reaction route to realize a low-temperature synthesis method where formate was an intermediate. Many alcohols showed catalytic promoting effect for methanol formation at temperature as low as 443 K, remarkably lower than that in the present industrial ICI process.