Sensitive and insensitive reactions on copper catalysts: the water-gas shift reaction and methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide

Abstract The catalytic activity and in situ copper metal areas have been determined for series of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts in methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide and in the water-gas shift reaction. Methanol synthesis is an insensitive catalytic reaction, in agreement with our and other previous studies, whereas the water-gas shift reaction is sensitive to catalyst parameters other than copper metal area. This contrast is interpreted in terms of the unified reaction mechanism proposed before.

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