| Syngas Conversion to Higher Alcohols |
Synthesis gas, composed mainly of CO and H2, can be derived from coal, natural gas, or biomass. Although world-scale catalytic processes have been developed to convert synthesis gas to diesel fuel or methanol, there is a growing need for its direct conversion to higher alcohols for use as fuel additives or chemical precursors. Recent work in our lab has focused on the promotion of supported Rh nanoparticles with Fe species to produce a catalyst that selectively converts CO and H2 to ethanol. The catalyst has been characterized extensively by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and FT-IR spectroscopy to elucidate the promotional role of Fe on the Rh catalyst. Unfortunately, the high cost of Rh will likely impede its large-scale adoption as an alcohol synthesis catalyst. Thus, molybdenum-based materials are among the most promising catalysts for higher alcohol synthesis (HAS) because of their relatively low cost and high alcohol selectivity. Ongoing work in our lab involves the exploration of alkali-promoted molybdenum carbide as a potential catalyst for HAS.
Recent Publications
M.A. Haider, M.R. Gogate, R.J. Davis, Fe-promotion of supported Rh catalysts for direct conversion of syngas to ethanol, J. Catal. 261 (2009) 9-16.
M. Gogate, R. Davis, X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of an Fe-Promoted Rh/TiO2 Catalyst for Synthesis of Ethanol from Synthesis Gas, ChemCatChem. 1 (2009) 295-303.
M.R. Gogate, R.J. Davis, Comparative study of CO and CO2 hydrogenation over supported Rh-Fe catalysts, Catal. Commun. 11 (2010) 901-906.
H. Shou and R.J. Davis, “Reactivity and In-situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Rb-promoted Mo2C/MgO Catalysts for Higher Alcohol Synthesis,” J. Catal. 282 (2011) 83-93.