CO Hydrogenation

CO hydrogenation involves a wide range of energy conversion processes, such as methanol synthesis, Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis, carbonylation, and methanation reactions. These processes can provide highly demanded liquid fuels and chemicals, thus mitigating the dependence on the depleting oil resources. The mixture of CO and H 2 is usually called syngas, which can be produced from coal and natural gas by well-developed technologies. Besides, syngas can also be produced from other carbonaceous substance, including asphalt, biomass, CO 2 , and even waste, which cannot be utilized directly. Because of the required diversification of energy utilization, CO hydrogenation has received much research attention from both academia and industry. In the recent past, both fundamental understanding and catalyst systems, to a great extent, have been deepened and expanded. This chapter focuses on not only the commercialized methanol synthesis and FT synthesis but also the emerging bifunctional process and the synthesis of C 2+ oxygenates. The reaction mechanisms, exploration of active sites, and new reaction pathways will be particularly analyzed to provide a comprehensive understanding of CO hydrogenation.