A practical approach for the preparation of high activity Cu/ZnO/ZrO2 catalyst for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation Original Research Article

According to the features of CuC2O4·H2O and the colloid/precipitation theories, a practical approach for the preparation of Cu/ZnO-based catalyst, which had high activity for methanol synthesis, was proposed and verified in experiments. Co-precipitation reaction in the ethanol solution was found to be an effective route for the preparation of a highly active and selective catalyst. The characterization of XRD, N2 physisorption, TEM and the measurement of the copper surface area by nitrous oxide titration revealed that preparation conditions have a significant influence on the structure and surface properties of the precursors and the catalysts, as well as on the catalytic activities for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation.