Ethanol synthesis catalytic CO hydrogenation over multi-elemental KFeCuZn/ZrO catalyst.

Technological enablers that use CO as a feedstock to create value-added chemicals, including ethanol, have gained widespread appeal. They offer a potential solution to climate change and promote the development of a circular economy. However, the conversion of CO to ethanol poses significant challenges, not only because CO is a thermodynamically stable and chemically inert molecule but also because of the complexity of the reaction routes and uncontrollability of C-C coupling. In this study, we developed an efficient catalyst, K-Fe-Cu-Zn/ZrO (KFeCuZn/ZrO), which enhances the EtOH space time yield (STY) to 5.4 mmol g h, under optimized conditions (360 °C, 4 MPa, and 12 L g h). Furthermore, we investigated the roles of each constituent element using / spectroscopy such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). These results demonstrate that all components are necessary for efficient ethanol synthesis.