Catalytic Synthesis of Methanol from Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide on a Copper-zinc Oxide Supported Catalyst

Most kinetic studies of methanol synthesis over Cu/ZnO catalysts have been carried out using mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. But in some cases (1) the synthesis gas has also contained carbon dioxide (2). Power rate laws as well as complicated rate expressions have been proposed over the years. The detailed kinetics of the surface processes is virtually unknown. With the exception, perhaps, of the near-atmospheric work by Saida and Ozaki (3), investigations of the kinetics of methanol synthesis over Cu/ZnO catalysts have been done a t pressures on the order of 75 atm (1,4-8). A major drawback of several such kinetic studies is the use of integral reactors.