Neutron Insights into Sorption Enhanced Methanol Catalysis

Sorption enhanced methanol production makes use of the equilibrium shift of the CO2 hydrogenation reaction towards the desired products. However, the increased complexity of the catalyst system leads to additional reactions and thus side products such as dimethyl ether, and complicates the analysis of the reaction mechanism. On the other hand, the unusually high concentration of intermediates and products in the sorbent facilitates the use of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy. Despite being a post-mortem method, the INS data revealed the change of the reaction path during sorption catalysis. Concretely, the experiments indicate that the varying water partial pressure due to the adsorption saturation of the zeolite sorbent influences the progress of the reaction steps in which water is involved. Experiments with model catalysts support the INS findings.

Automated summary

Sorption enhanced methanol production utilizes the equilibrium shift of the CO2 hydrogenation reaction, leading to desired products, but the complexity of the catalyst system generates additional reactions and side products like dimethyl ether. The high concentration of intermediates and products in the sorbent allows for the use of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy. The INS data revealed changes in the reaction path during sorption catalysis, particularly influenced by varying water partial pressures due to zeolite sorbent adsorption saturation.