Insight into the role of Fe5C2 in CO2 catalytic hydrogenation to hydrocarbons

Facile Synthesis of Iron Carbide via Pyrolysis of Ferrous Fumarate for Catalytic CO2 Hydrogenation to Lower Olefins

Hydrogenation of CO2 to olefin catalyzed by iron-based catalysts is a sustainable and important way to achieve carbon neutrality. In this study, iron-based catalysts were facilely prepared by direct pyrolysis of ferric fumarate (FF), which are applied to CO2 hydrogenation to olefin reaction to explore the effects of pyrolysis temperature and atmosphere on catalytic performance of the catalysts. Among them, NaFe-Air-400 catalyst exhibits the highest catalytic activity with 33.7 %, and light olefin selectivity reaches as high as 47.1 %. The catalytic performance of pyrolytic catalysts is better than that the impregnated NaFe catalyst on activated carbon (NaFe/AC). A series of XRD, Raman and SEM characterization results show a suitable pyrolysis temperature would promote the balance between amorphous carbon and graphene, which can affect the formation of FexCy phase, leading the distinctive activity and olefin selectivity. Hence, the presented one-step pyrolysis methodology would provide a facile and quick synthesis of highly-active iron-based catalyst design for CO2 conversion.

The Effect of Mn, Al Doping on the CO2 Hydrogenation Performance of CaCO3 -Supported Fe-Based Catalysts

With increasingly serious environmental problems caused by the greenhouse effect, it has also become essential to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. In this paper, CaCO3 -supported Fe-based catalysts doped with Mn, Al, and K are prepared by a straightforward method and used for CO2 hydrogenation. The fresh and spent catalysts were characterized by SEM-EDS, BET, TG, CO2 -TPD, XRD, and XPS. The experimental results show that the highest CO2 conversion rate of Fe10Mn2Al10Ca is 35.99 %, the maximum FTY value is 293.98 μmolCO2  ⋅ g Fe - 1 ${{\rm{g}}_{{\rm{Fe}}}^{ - 1} }$  ⋅ s-1 , the maximum O/P value is 6.61, and the lowest CO selectivity is 32.21 %. At the same time, according to the characterization results, the doping of Mn and Al increased the Fe3 O4 /FeCx ratio. As the Fe3 O4 /FeCx ratio increases, the proportion of short-chain hydrocarbons (CH4 , C2-4 ) in the products increases, and the proportion of long-chain hydrocarbons (C5+ ) decrease. Therefore, the co-doping of Mn and Al promotes the conversion of CO and reduces its selectivity, and promotes the formation of light olefins. Finally, it is hoped that this study can provide a reference for further research on CaCO3 -supported Fe catalysts.

A Review on Green Hydrogen Valorization by Heterogeneous Catalytic Hydrogenation of Captured CO2 into Value-Added Products

The catalytic hydrogenation of captured CO2 by different industrial processes allows obtaining liquid biofuels and some chemical products that not only present the interest of being obtained from a very low-cost raw material (CO2) that indeed constitutes an environmental pollution problem but also constitute an energy vector, which can facilitate the storage and transport of very diverse renewable energies. Thus, the combined use of green H2 and captured CO2 to obtain chemical products and biofuels has become attractive for different processes such as power-to-liquids (P2L) and power-to-gas (P2G), which use any renewable power to convert carbon dioxide and water into value-added, synthetic renewable E-fuels and renewable platform molecules, also contributing in an important way to CO2 mitigation. In this regard, there has been an extraordinary increase in the study of supported metal catalysts capable of converting CO2 into synthetic natural gas, according to the Sabatier reaction, or in dimethyl ether, as in power-to-gas processes, as well as in liquid hydrocarbons by the Fischer-Tropsch process, and especially in producing methanol by P2L processes. As a result, the current review aims to provide an overall picture of the most recent research, focusing on the last five years, when research in this field has increased dramatically.

Modified fischer-tropsch synthesis: A review of highly selective catalysts for yielding olefins and higher hydrocarbons

Global warming, fossil fuel depletion, climate change, as well as a sudden increase in fuel price have motivated scientists to search for methods of storage and reduction of greenhouse gases, especially CO2. Therefore, the conversion of CO2 by hydrogenation into higher hydrocarbons through the modified Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) has become an important topic of current research and will be discussed in this review. In this process, CO2 is converted into carbon monoxide by the reverse water-gas-shift reaction, which subsequently follows the regular FTS pathway for hydrocarbon formation. Generally, the nature of the catalyst is the main factor significantly influencing product selectivity and activity. Thus, a detailed discussion will focus on recent developments in Fe-based, Co-based, and bimetallic catalysts in this review. Moreover, the effects of adding promoters such as K, Na, or Mn on the performance of catalysts concerning the selectivity of olefins and higher hydrocarbons are assessed.

Mechanistic Insight into Hydrocarbon Synthesis via CO2 Hydrogenation on χ-Fe5C2 Catalysts

Converting CO₂ into value-added chemicals and fuels is one of the promising approaches to alleviate CO₂ emissions, reduce the dependence on nonrenewable energy resources, and minimize the negative environmental effect of fossil fuels. This work used density functional theory (DFT) calculations combined with microkinetic modeling to provide fundamental insight into the mechanisms of CO₂ hydrogenation to hydrocarbons over the iron carbide catalyst, with a focus on understanding the energetically favorable pathways and kinetic controlling factors for selective hydrocarbon production. The crystal orbital Hamiltonian population analysis demonstrated that the transition states associated with O-H bond formation steps within the path are less stable than those of C-H bond formation, accounting for the observed higher barriers in O-H bond formation from DFT. Energetically favorable pathways for CO₂ hydrogenation to CH₄ and C₂H₄ products were identified which go through an HCOO intermediate, while the CH* species was found to be the key C₁ intermediate over χ-Fe₅C₂(510). The microkinetic modeling results showed that the relative selectivity to CH₄ is higher than C₂H₄ in CO₂ hydrogenation, but the trend is opposite under CO hydrogenation conditions. The major impact on C₂ hydrocarbon production is attributed to the high surface coverage of O* from CO₂ conversion, which occupies crucial active sites and impedes C-C couplings to C₂ species over χ-Fe₅C₂(510). The coexistence of iron oxide and carbide phases was proposed and the interfacial sites created between the two phases impact CO₂ surface chemistry. Adding potassium into the Fe₅C₂ catalyst accelerates O* removal from the carbide surface, enhances the stability of the iron carbide catalyst, thus, promotes C-C couplings to hydrocarbons.

Effect of Different Iron Phases of Fe/SiO2 Catalyst in CO2 Hydrogenation under Mild Conditions

The effect of different active phases of Fe/SiO2 catalyst on the physio-chemical properties and the catalytic performance in CO2 hydrogenation under mild conditions (at 220 °C under an ambient pressure) was comprehensively studied in this work. The Fe/SiO2 catalyst was prepared by an incipient wetness impregnation method. Hematite (Fe2O3) in the calcined Fe/SiO2 catalyst was activated by hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen followed by carbon monoxide, to form a metallic iron (Fe/SiO2-h), an iron carbide (Fe/SiO2-c), and a combination of a metallic iron and an iron carbide (Fe/SiO2-hc), respectively. All activated catalysts were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption, H2-TPR, CO-TPR, H2-TPD, CO2-TPD, CO-TPD, NH3-TPD, and tested in a CO2 hydrogenation reaction. The different phases of the Fe/SiO2 catalyst are formed by different activation procedures and different reducing agents (H2 and CO). Among three different activated catalysts, the Fe/SiO2-c provides the highest CO2 hydrogenation performance in terms of maximum CO2 conversion, as well as the greatest selectivity toward long-chain hydrocarbon products, with the highest chain growth probability of 0.7. This is owing to a better CO2 and CO adsorption ability and a greater acidity on the carbide form of the Fe/SiO2-c surface, which are essential properties of catalysts for polymerization in FTs.

Research Progress and Reaction Mechanism of CO2 Methanation over Ni-Based Catalysts at Low Temperature: A Review

The combustion of fossil fuels has led to a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions and increased greenhouse effect. Methanation of carbon dioxide can not only mitigate the greenhouse effect, but also utilize the hydrogen generated by renewable electricity such as wind, solar, tidal energy, and others, which could ameliorate the energy crisis to some extent. Highly efficient catalysts and processes are important to make CO2 methanation practical. Although noble metal catalysts exhibit higher catalytic activity and CH4 selectivity at low temperature, their large-scale industrial applications are limited by the high costs. Ni-based catalysts have attracted extensive attention due to their high activity, low cost, and abundance. At the same time, it is of great importance to study the mechanism of CO2 methanation on Ni-based catalysts in designing high-activity and stability catalysts. Herein, the present review focused on the recent progress of CO2 methanation and the key parameters of catalysts including the essential nature of nickel active sites, supports, promoters, and preparation methods, and elucidated the reaction mechanism on Ni-based catalysts. The design and preparation of catalysts with high activity and stability at low temperature as well as the investigation of the reaction mechanism are important areas that deserve further study.

Zn Doping Effect on the Performance of Fe-Based Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of CO2 to Light Hydrocarbons

In this work, we studied the role of zinc in the composition of supported iron-containing catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO₂. Various variants of incipient wetness impregnation of the support were tested to obtain catalyst samples. The best results are shown for samples synthesized by co-impregnation of the support with a common solution of iron and zinc precursors at the same molar ratio of iron and zinc. Catalyst samples were analyzed by various methods: Raman, DRIFT-CO, TPR-H₂, XPS, and UV/Vis. The introduction of zinc leads to the formation of a mixed ZnFe₂O₄ phase. In this case, the activation of the catalyst proceeds through the stage of formation of the metastable wustite phase FeO. The formation of this wustite phase promotes the formation of metallic iron in the composition of the catalyst under the reaction conditions. It is believed that the presence of metallic iron is a necessary step in the formation of iron carbides—that is, active centers for the formation and growth of chain in the hydrocarbons. This leads to an increase in the activity and selectivity of the formation of hydrocarbons in the process of CO₂ hydrogenation.

Dynamic structural evolution of iron catalysts involving competitive oxidation and carburization during CO2 hydrogenation

Identifying the dynamic structure of heterogeneous catalysts is crucial for the rational design of new ones. In this contribution, the structural evolution of Fe(0) catalysts during CO₂ hydrogenation to hydrocarbons has been investigated by using several (quasi) in situ techniques. Upon initial reduction, Fe species are carburized to Fe₃C and then to Fe₅C₂. The by-product of CO₂ hydrogenation, H₂O, oxidizes the iron carbide to Fe₃O₄. The formation of Fe₃O₄@(Fe₅C₂+Fe₃O₄) core-shell structure was observed at steady state, and the surface composition depends on the balance of oxidation and carburization, where water plays a key role in the oxidation. The performance of CO₂ hydrogenation was also correlated with the dynamic surface structure. Theoretical calculations and controll experiments reveal the interdependence between the phase transition and reactive environment. We also suggest a practical way to tune the competitive reactions to maintain an Fe₅C₂-rich surface for a desired C₂₊ productivity.

Controllable assembly of Fe3O4–Fe3C@MC by in situ doping of Mn for CO2 selective hydrogenation to light olefins

Mn in situ doped Fe3C anchored in mesoporous carbon was prepared and employed for converting CO2 to light olefins successfully. The in situ doped Mn modified the ratio of FeOx/FeCx and surface electron density, which optimized the C/H on active sites.

Adjusting the CO2 hydrogenation pathway via the synergic effects of iron carbides and iron oxides

The synergic effects of iron carbides and iron oxides were used to adjust the reaction pathway to form alkenes or ethanol.