SYNTHESIS OF SOLID CU/ZNO/AL2O3 BY CO-PRECIPITATION METHOD AS CATALYST FOR METHANOL SYNTHESIS

• Main Author: Hendriawan Agus Angga, Albert
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Kimia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/34446
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

About 47 million tons of methanol have been used anually in various industries. Recent research showed that methanol can be converted into gasoline over Methanol to Gasoline (MTG) process. Methanol seems can be substituted fossil fuel for the future need. In this research Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst have been synthesized by using co-precipitation method and will be used as methanol synthesis catalyst over syngas (CO and H2 mixture). The catalyst was prepared by reacting the copper and zinc nitrate solution with the sodium carbonate solution, then the pH was adjusted into 7 by using hydrochloric or nitric acid and stired for 1 hour until a green solid was formed. Then, aluminum hydroxide suspension was added into this mixture, that have been made by the addition of NaOH or NH3 solution into aluminum nitrate solution and stired again for 1 hour. The green solid then filtrated, dried at 110 oC over night and calcinated at 330 oC for 2 hours. The highest activity of catalyst was founded from the catalyst which synthesized from nitric acid as the pH adjustor and the aluminum hydroxide suspension from the addition of NH3. The surface area of this catalyst was 56,5960 m2/g. The SEM imaging showed that this catalyst's crystals has well distributed and EDX analysed showed that 88,47% mol of Cu was exposed to the catalyst surface. The catalyst activity was test through fixed bed reactor at 225 oC and 1 bar pressure for 16 hours. The activity of this catalyst was 1,14 mgMeOH gca -1 h-1 . This catalyst more reactive than the other catalyst in this research, due to this catalyst has a higher surface area, more homogen crystal distribution and a higher amount of Cu (active site) exposed into this catalyst surface.