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Abstract

Cu/ZnO/(Al2O3) catalysts are of major industrial interest as they have been successfully applied in methanol synthesis for over 40 years. Highly productive catalysts exhibit a homogeneous microstructure and an optimal dispersion of the active copper phase. During synthesis of the catalyst, the relevant precursor phase is a mixed metal
hydroxy carbonate, zincian malachite [1], which is typically co-precipitated from nitrate solutions. As an alternative approach, we synthesized metal hydroxy formates with different Cu:Zn ratios and used them as precursors for Cu/ZnO catalysts, the major advantage being a nitrate-free “green” catalyst synthesis. In this work we present
precursor preparation and characterization as well as first catalytic results and discuss the potential of this novel preparation route for methanol synthesis catalysts.