Production of short-chain alcohols by CO hydrogenation using Cu/Nb₂O₅/Al₂O₃ catalysts

The production of alcohols by hydrogenation of CO in the presence of a catalyst, normally Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃, at pressures of 50-100 bar and temperatures in the range of 220 to 300 ° C, is an important route for methanol production. In this scenario, a new catalyst was synthesized replacing ZnO by Nb₂O₅. This catalyst is a national raw material with semiconductor properties similar to zinc oxide, which has been little investigated so far. This research aims to evaluate the performance of the Cu/Nb₂O₅/Al₂O₃ catalyst in the hydrogenation reaction of CO for the production of short-chain alcohols, in particular or in methanol. The catalyst synthesis was made via wet impregnation, and followed the same proportion (% metric) of the commercial catalyst Hifuel R120 Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃, with its specific composition in the following ratio 18,7/50,5/30,8, respectively. The catalyst was pelletized and characterized by the N₂ physisorption, X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Programmed Temperature Desorption and Size Distribution by DLS techniques. Clinical trials were conducted at 250 deg C and 40 bar, using a 2:1 mixture of H₂:CO (White Martins, 99%) in an experimental unit the liquid product were analyzed by gas chromatography and infrared spectroscopy Fourier transform (FTIR). The catalyst shows good results in the hydrogenation reaction of CO, producing mainly short chain alcohols, the catalyst performance was compared to Cu-ZnO-Al, synthesized in this work. In addition, the results that can be performed in the preparation of the catalyst or in the reaction conditions to select the most selected filter for methanol and obtain a greater change in the recording gas. (author)