Functional rice husk as reductant and support to prepare as-burnt Cu-ZnO based catalysts applied in low-temperature methanol synthesis

A novel method, that the precursor is burnt in argon without further reduction to directly prepare metallic catalyst, is developed using low-valued by-product. Rice husk not only contributed as catalyst support, but also as reductant and fuel. The XRD, TPR and TG-DTA analysis prove that Cu phase in the as-burnt catalyst is almost reduced to metallic Cu-0. The as-prepared catalysts exhibit higher activity and methanol selectivity than those prepared by a conventional impregnation method. This method may open a new way to prepare metallic catalysts without further reduction, especially for some catalytic reactions promoted by K, Ca, Mg and Mn. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.