METHANOL SYNTHESIS CATALYSTS DERIVED FROM TERNARY RARE-EARTH, COOPER, ZIRCONIUM AND RARE-EARTH, COPPER, TITANIUM INTERMETALLIC ALLOYS

The methanol synthesis activity of intermetallic catalysts derived from Zr/Cu and Ti/Cu alloys containing rare earth metals (and yttrium) was investigated in a CO/H2 gas feed at pressures of 12 bar and 50 bar and at temperatures up to 523 K. We have found that the rate of methanol synthesis over both Zr/Cu and Ti/Cu catalysts is substantially increased by the addition of the RE component (RE= rare earth or yttrium). In the most favourable case only 2 atom-% of yttrium was required in an alloy of Zr/Cu to produce a catalyst with a stable methanol synthesis activity of 11 mol/kg/h at 50 bar, 513 K - a 200% improvement. Furthermore, the maximum methanol activity observed for a range of alloys of general composition Zr0.7/RE0.3/Cu2.0 activated at 12 bar was found to be strongly dependent on the ionic radius of the RE component. © 1990.