U.S.-Australia Cooperative Research: Investigation of the Methanol Synthesis Mechanism on Raney Cu-Zn Catalysts

该奖项支持格伦·L·博士的访问。爱荷华州的施拉德 州立大学改为新南威尔士大学 澳大利亚，与H. E.博士合作。Curry-Hyde提供新的 关于CO、CO2机理的基本信息 和使用新型Raney Cu-Zn将H2转化为甲醇 催化剂的 尽管甲醇作为一种重要的- 大量的化学中间体， 作为替代液体燃料或燃料添加剂的需求-许多 不确定性仍然存在关于详细的催化 甲醇合成机理 新的基本信息 关于反应途径将导致改善 甲醇催化剂和方法。 澳大利亚研究人员 发现了一系列独特的高活性甲醇 基于Raney催化剂精馏技术的催化剂。 两种先进的光谱技术， 催化剂研究的国家研究人员--FTIR反射率- 红外吸收光谱和激光拉曼光谱 (LRS)，包括“表面强化”方法， 为了检验已经制备的阮内Cu-Zn催化剂， 通过以下方法表征和评价活性和选择性： 澳大利亚研究人员。 这些研究将有助于 关于吸附性质的新信息， 甲醇合成催化剂上的反应，并将导致 更基本的理解活动的本质 网站. 具体而言，这些研究的目标是：（1） 为了确定CO2、CO、H2和H2O吸附的性质， Raney Cu-Zn催化剂表面上的特定位点; (2)为了检验中间体如甲酸盐的作用， 甲醇中的甲醛、甲氧基或其他表面物质 综合;（3）区分 甲醇中CO2和CO转化的机理途径 合成.

This award supports a visit by Dr. Glenn L. Schrader of Iowa State University to the University of New South Wales in Australia, to work with Dr. H.E. Curry-Hyde to provide new fundamental information concerning the mechanism of CO, CO2 and H2 conversion to methanol using novel Raney Cu-Zn catalysts. Despite the importance of methanol as a large- volume chemical intermediate--and the potentially enormous demand as an alternate liquid fuel or fuel additive--many uncertainties remain regarding the detailed catalytic mechanism for methanol synthesis. New fundamental information concerning the reaction pathway would lead to improved methanol catalysts and processes. The Australian researchers have discovered a unique series of highly active methanol catalysts based on a Raney-catalyst preparational technique. Two advanced spectroscopic techniques developed by the United States researchers for catalysts research--FTIR reflectance- absorbance spectroscopy (IRRAS) and laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), including "surface-enhanced" approaches--will be used to examine Raney Cu-Zn catalysts which have been prepared, characterized, and evaluated for activity and selectivity by the Australian researchers. These studies will contribute new information concerning the nature of adsorption and reaction on methanol synthesis catalysts and will lead to a more fundamental understanding of the nature of the active sites. Specifically, the goals of these studies will be: (1) to determine the nature of CO2, CO, H2, and H2O adsorption of specific sites on the surfaces of the Raney Cu-Zn catalysts; (2) to examine the role of intermediates such as formates, formaldehyde, methoxy, or other surface species in methanol synthesis; and (3) to distinguish the differences in the mechanistic pathways for CO2 and CO conversion in methanol synthesis.