(45h) Conversion of Syngas to Ethanol and Higher Alcohols Using Pulse Electrodeposited Mn-Cu-Zn Nanowires as Catalysts

Ethanol and higher alcohols can be used as a fuel additive in gasoline engines and as well as a hydrogen carrier. The production of these alcohols can be achieved economically via catalytic conversion of syngas if its yield can be increased significantly. Thus, there is a need to develop more efficient catalysts to achieve this goal. Generally, these catalysts are prepared by conventional techniques such as co-precipitation and impregnation. It is hard to have a control over active metal environment using these methods. In this work, we developed novel Mn-Cu-Zn nanowire catalysts using pulse electrodeposition. Pulse electrodeposition of nanowires is a novel/promising catalyst preparation method because it has better control over the active metal environment at the atomic level. A fixed bed tubular reactor was used to convert syngas to alcohols. Reactions were carried out at 270-290 oC, CO:H2 =1, and 10-20 bar. The desired products were ethanol, propanol, and butanol. Methanol, methane and CO2 were the main undesired products.