Effect of Synthesis Methods for ZnZrOx Oxides Associated with SAPO-34 on the Production of Light Olefins By CO2 Hydrogenation

A ZnZrOx mixed oxide catalyst (denoted ZZ) was synthesized for use in the generation of methanol as an intermediate in the methanol-mediated CO2 hydrogenation reaction to produce light olefins. The aim was to achieve improvements in the textural and morphological properties of oxide, comparing the effects of different preparation methods, including the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EI) technique in the presence of the P123® copolymer as a mesoporous template. The resulting catalysts were combined with SAPO-34 zeolite synthesized by the hydrothermal route, in the form of simple physical mixture. Among the tandem catalysts, the highest CO2 conversion achieved with the ZZ (EI) + SAPO-34 combination could be attributed to the higher specific surface area of the ZZ oxide, which provided more accessible routes to sites for CO2 adsorption. The potential of zeolite for use in the synthesis of light olefins was demonstrated by comparing it to a conventional Cu/Zn/Al catalyst.