Low-temperature methanol synthesis in catalytic systems composed of nickel compounds and alkali alkoxides in liquid phases

Catalysts prepared from NaH, tert-amyl alcohol and nickel acetate were tested for CO hydrogenation in organic solvents in the range of 353-433 K and 1.0-5.0 MPa. Methanol was produced selectively under the studied conditions. Higher temperatures and higher pressures enhanced methanol productivity; a maximum space-time yield of 0.95 kg MeOH l(-1) h(-1) higher than that of the conventional methanol production process, was obtained at 433 K and 5.0 MPa. The addition of methanol to the catalyst did not significantly affect the product yields, but such addition did eliminate the induction period that was observed during the run in the absence of methanol addition to the catalyst. This suggested that methanol promoted the formation of a catalytically active species and/or that a certain amount of methanol was required to run a catalytic reaction cycle smoothly, in which methanol would be a reactant. The catalysts exhibited a catalytic decline over a short period due to the consumption of the alkoxide component. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.