Utilization of steel industry waste derived magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles for reverse water gas shift reaction

The improvements associated with developing newer pathways for the catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable products have grown a lot in recent times. Herein, we investigated the possibility of using waste red-colored iron oxide dust (IOD) as a low-cost available precursor for synthesizing magnetic black-colored iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NP). The as-synthesized Fe3O4-NP has been used to thermo-catalytically reduce CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO) using the well-known process of reverse water gas shift reactions (RWGS) with a > 97 % selectivity with ∼ 22 % CO2 conversion. The catalytic activity of Fe3O4-NP for converting CO2 into CO has been analyzed in a laboratory-scale continuous fixed bed reactor, where Fe3O4-NP showed better results than IOD. The electrochemical studies have also supported the improved RWGS activity of Fe3O4. Additionally, the catalytic activity of synthesized nanoparticles for RWGS has been compared with two commercially available samples of Fe3O4 named CS1 and CS2, where the synthesized Fe3O4-NP showed better results, which advocates the suitability of the reported procedure related to the utilization of iron-based industrial waste.