Highly effective gasoline synthesis from carbon dioxide

Effective catalytic conversion of CO2 into gasoline was investigated by one-pass operation using a serially connected flow-type reactor. Rapid CO2-reforming of methane into syngas was conducted by a newly developed Rh-modified Ni-Ce2O3-Pt catalyst at a low furnace-temperature around 400-500 degrees C. A high methane conversion was achieved by an in-situ heat supply due to catalytic combustion of added ethane or propane which is more combustible with higher combustion heat than methane. Thus obtained syngas or a CO2-enriched syngas was then converted into methanol on a novel highly active methanol synthesis catalyst, composed of Pd-modified Cu-Zn-Cr-Ga-Al mixed oxides, and the methanol produced was introduced to the successive reactor packed with a metallosilicate catalyst having MFI structure, and totally converted into gasoline with a high space-time yield and selectivity. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.