Plasma deposited novel nanocatalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methane

- Novel catalysts for the CO2 methanation are prepared using cold plasma.
- Specific nanostructure of the catalysts accounts for their high catalytic activity.
- The RuO2 nanocatalyst exhibits the highest yield and selectivity for CH4.
- The nanocatalysts supported on wire-gauzes can be applied in structured reactors.

The catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to methane has been receiving an increasing attention as a method to mitigate the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere through the production of synthetic natural gas. Finding the effective catalyst is the key factor to make this process feasible. In the present work, hydrogenation of CO2 into CH4 over novel metal oxide nanocatalysts supported on wire gauzes made from kanthal steel (FeCrAl) has been studied. The series of thin films of active phase were prepared by plasma-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PEMOCVD), containing cobalt spinel (Co3O4), ruthenium oxide (RuO2), mixed oxides (RuO2/Co3O4) and iron oxide (Fe2O3). The activity of the prepared nanocatalysts was tested in the gradientless reactor in the temperature range of 150-500 °C. The RuO2 catalyst revealed the highest both the yield of methane and the reaction rate, while the Fe2O3 catalyst promoted the CO production through reverse water-gas shift reaction. The results of the present studies are the foundation for further research on a new class of nanomaterials with high catalytic properties for the methanation reaction.

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