Effect of ZrO_2 on CuO-ZnO-ZrO_2 catalysts for methanol synthesis from synthesis gas

A variety of CuO-ZnO-ZrO2 methanol catalysts with ZrO2 contents were prepared by co-precipitation. The catalytic activity and thermo-stability of catalysts for hydrogenation of synthesis gas to methanol were tested using a fixed-bed reactor. The results showed that the catalyst containing 0.10 (atomic ratio) of ZrO2 performed the best catalytic behavior. The BET, XRD and TPR measurement revealed that the addition of ZrO2 increased the dispersion particle of catalysts, enlarge the surface areas , deduced the catalytic reduction temperature, prevented the catalysts from sintering at higher temperature and enhanced the reduction capability of the catalysts also.