Iron Oxide-Oriented Ethanol Synthesis via Dimethyl Oxalate Hydrogenation from Syngas

The conversion of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) is a crucial step in the transformation of syngas into valuable oxygenates over transition metal catalysts. Herein, iron catalysts containing oxides as the main component were carefully developed to achieve highly efficient hydrogenation of DMO for ethanol synthesis with a yield of 90%. Further studies were carried out to elucidate the mechanism by which iron species participate in and facilitate hydrogenation of the C═O bond. It was demonstrated that iron oxide promotes deep hydrogenation and a higher Fe3O4/Fe5C2 ratio facilitates ethanol formation, different from the conventional insight into the functionality of metal carbide as the main active sites. This study provides valuable insight into catalyst design strategies to improve the C═O bond hydrogenation performance.