Effective synergies in indium oxide loaded with zirconia mixed with silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve number 34 catalysts for carbon dioxide hydrogenation to lower olefins

Tandem catalysts consisting of metal oxides and zeolites have been widely studied for catalytic carbon dioxide (CO2) hydrogenation to lower olefins, while the synergies of two components and their influence on the catalytic performance are still unclear. In this study, the composite catalysts composed of indium oxide loaded with zirconia (In2O3/ZrO2) and silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve number 34 (SAPO-34) are developed. Performance results indicate that the synergies between these two components can promote CO2 hydrogenation. Further characterizations reveal that the chabazite (CHA) structure and acid sites in the SAPO-34 are destroyed when preparing In-Zr/SAPO by powder milling (In-Zr/SAPO-M) because of the excessive proximity of two components, which inhibits the activation of CO2 and hydrogen (H2), thus resulting in much higher methane selectivity than the catalysts prepared by granule stacking (In-Zr/SAPO-G). Proper granule integration manner promotes tandem reaction, thus enhancing CO2 hydrogenation to lower olefins, which can provide a practicable strategy to improve catalytic performance and the selectivity of the target products.