Carbon dioxide, emitted mainly by combustion of fossil fuels, is harmful to the climate and the main reason for increased global warming. Diverting carbon dioxide into hydrogen carriers or chemicals such as methanol, a valuable raw material and energy carrier, is thus highly desired. Supported metal nanoparticle heterogeneous catalysts such as copper on zinc oxide is used for the catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol. Researchers have now discovered that it is possible to avoid by-products and at the same time make the process more sustainable by adding a small amount of gold to the catalyst.
Carbon dioxide can be converted into methanol and water by reaction with hydrogen. The reaction is only possible in the presence of a catalytic material such as Au or Cu nanoparticles supported on zinc oxide. The chemical reaction will then take place on the particle surfaces. In a recent study, a research team from Germany, Japan and Sweden have shown that modifying the typical ZnO-supported Cu nanoparticles by a small amount of gold (< 10 weight percent) makes the reaction more selective.
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