Elevating catalyst performance: How hierarchical Alumina’s phases enhance Cu/Al2O3 in reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction

I'm thrilled to share my latest publication on cutting-edge γ-Al2O3-supported catalysts for the RWGS reaction, now available for free for the next 50 days in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (IF=8.1)!

Our study was conducted in three distinct phases:

1. Catalyst Development: We developed γ-Al2O3-supported catalysts with high surface areas and complex structures using a polymer additive to create hierarchical pores. By adjusting copper loading, we discovered that a 15 wt.% Cu/γ-Al2O3 catalyst showed the highest catalytic activity in the reverse water gas-shift reaction. This phase focused on optimizing the catalyst's design to enhance its effectiveness.

2. Performance Evaluation: In this phase, we assessed the performance of the 15 wt.% Cu/γ-Al2O3 catalyst against other industrial γ-Al2O3 grades. We also tested it on different transitional alumina phases (δ-Al2O3 and θ-Al2O3) to understand the impact of the support's surface area and structure on catalytic performance. Our findings confirmed that the 15 wt.% Cu/γ-Al2O3 catalyst consistently outperformed others, highlighting its superior efficiency.

3. Long-Term Stability Analysis: The final phase investigated the long-term stability of our catalysts. We observed that catalysts with higher macropore content maintained better stability and performance over a 72-hour test period. This phase emphasized how the alumina phase and macropore content affect the catalyst's stability and performance.

This research, guided by Prof. Amin Bazyari and Prof. Mehran Rezaei , and in collaboration with Dr. EHSAN AKBARI and Amirhosein Rajabzadeh Nobakht , provides valuable insights into optimizing catalyst performance and stability.

Feel free to access the full article here: [Read the paper]

Thank you to everyone involved for your support!

#CO2_Conversion #Heterogeneous_Catalysis #MaterialsScience #RWGS_Reaction