Plasma-Catalyzed One-Step Synthesis of Alcohols from CO2 over Cu/γ-Al2O3 Catalyst

The direct conversion of CO2 and CH4 into value-added chemicals at room temperature and atmospheric pressure poses a significant challenge in the chemical field. Nonthermal plasma (NTP) exhibits unique properties, enabling the provision of energy up to 10 eV at room temperature. However, the active species in NTP are complex, making the control of liquid products difficult. To address this, Cu can be introduced into γ-Al2O3 through the solid ion exchange method, followed by secondary calcination to obtain a nonprecious metal catalyst (Cu/γ-Al2O3) characterized by high activity, high stability, and exclusive Cu2+ species. Combining 10% Cu/γ-Al2O3 with plasma resulted in CO2 and CH4 conversions of 34.7 and 30.2%, respectively, with a liquid product selectivity of 55%. The presence of abundant Cu2+ species led to alcohol products reaching 38.3%, with methanol being the main product (29.6%), surpassing the reported 20.5%.