Bimetallic Fe–Co catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to higher hydrocarbons

• Bimetallic Fe–Co catalysts can be more effective and selective for CO2 hydrogenation to hydrocarbons.
• Combining a small amount of Co with Fe leads to a dramatic promotion of selectivity to C2+ hydrocarbons.
• Adding K to Fe–Co/Al2O3 catalyst improves C2+ selectivity and olefin contents and decreases CH4 selectivity.
• Olefin-rich C2+ hydrocarbons are synthesized using K-promoted Fe–Co/Al2O3 with high K loadings.

This paper reports on Fe–Co bimetallic catalysts that are active and selective for synthesis of olefin-rich C2+ hydrocarbons from CO2 hydrogenation. The combination of Fe and a small amount of Co led to a dramatic bimetallic promotion of C2+ hydrocarbons synthesis in CO2 hydrogenation on Fe–Co/Al2O3 catalyst with 15 wt% total metal loading. The addition of K to Fe–Co/Al2O3 catalyst further improved the formation rate of C2+ hydrocarbons as well as their olefin contents, while it suppressed CH4 formation significantly. Olefin-rich C2+ hydrocarbons was successfully synthesized using K-promoted Fe–Co/Al2O3 catalysts with high K loadings (Co/(Co + Fe) = 0.17 atom atom−1, K/Fe ≥ 0.5 atom atom−1) using CO2 as a carbon source.

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