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Breakthrough catalyst could accelerate the transition to greener fuels

16-01-2025

Chemical scientists have developed a catalyst for converting carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide with nine times the performance of other catalysts. X-ray spectroscopy experiments at the ESRF have shed light on this high performance, which could enable industrial chemicals to be produced more economically and sustainably – notably synthetic fuels.

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Within the chemicals industry, carbon dioxide (CO2) is often reduced to carbon monoxide (CO) as a starting point to produce common chemicals like hydrocarbons, methanol, and a variety of synthetic fuels. Catalysts are deployed to facilitate this CO2 conversion without being used up in the process.

A team of chemists from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai has formulated a new material for this process. Their tri-metallic catalyst blends nickel, copper, and zinc metals, which sit on top of a defective ceria (CeO2) support material. They found that it enables CO productivity of 49,279 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ at 650 °C – a ninefold improvement over the best-reported catalysts to date.

Furthermore, with CO selectivity reaching 99%, the catalyst minimises unwanted byproducts while demonstrating exceptional stability, maintaining its performance after 100 hours of operation. To understand why the catalyst performed so exceptionally, the researchers turned to the ESRF’s beamline ID26.

The ESRF: illuminating the catalyst’s mechanism

Using high-energy-resolution fluorescence-detection X-ray absorption spectroscopy (HERFD-XAS), the researchers could examine the catalyst in unprecedented detail.

A series of multi-edge studies allowed the researchers to resolve the interplay between the four materials. The catalyst’s efficiency appears to stem from two critical phenomena: 'strong metal-support interaction' (SMSI) and 'defects'. The defects in the ceria play a crucial role in enhancing the catalyst’s activity, while SMSI optimises the interaction between the trimetallic active sites and the ceria support material.

The ESRF study was accompanied by electron microscopy work at the Ernst-Ruska Center in Germany and theorical work at IIT, Bombay, in India – with the findings published recently in PNAS.

A catalyst for change

In industry, CO is combined with hydrogen to produce syngas, which is the basis for many chemicals. Synthetic fuels, like petrol from refined synthetic methanol, are becoming increasingly important for industries that cannot be fully electrified, such as long-haul aviation and shipping. Although potentially greener than their fossil fuel counterparts, synthetic fuels can be much more expensive to produce. Therefore, improving the efficiency of CO2 conversion is a step towards making synthetic fuels more economically viable. 

What’s more, synthetic fuels offer a solution for storing renewable energy. By using renewable power sources like solar energy to drive the chemical reactions that produce synthetic fuels, excess renewable energy can be effectively stored in the form of fuel. Such fuels are often referred to as ‘Power-to-X’ solutions, where surplus renewable electricity is converted directly into carbon-neutral synthetic fuels, in contrast with battery storage.

A step toward a sustainable energy future

“By combining traditional catalytic materials with cutting-edge defect engineering and SMSI, we’ve shown how to tackle fundamental limitations in catalysis. This approach could redefine industrial processes for a sustainable future,” says Vivek Polshettiwar from TIFR, the study’s principal investigator.

This work comes at a time when nations worldwide are committing to energy transitions – shifting from fossil-based systems to renewable energy sources. As the world seeks solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy systems, a range of innovations is crucial. Indeed, several motor companies are investing heavily in vehicles powered by hydrogen and synthetic fuels, as a complementary option to electric cars.

“It is becoming more accepted that synthetic fuels can be part of the energy transition, along with other alternatives. We need a cocktail of solutions,” says Pieter Glatzel, the ESRF beamline science who co-authored the study.

Reference:

Singhvi, C. et al,  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 2025, 16 January 2025. 

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.241140612

Text by James Dacey