Research Projects

Thermo-catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into ethanol and higher alcohols offers a promising solution for global warming, alternative fuel development, and energy storage for renewable sources. CO₂ gas, which makes up 95% of the Mars atmosphere, is also being studied for the human Mars space return mission. However, no effective catalyst has been found that provides good catalyst activity, stability, product selectivity, and economic feasibility. This research project aims to develop a CO₂ to study the alcohol conversion process for commercial-scale alcohol production from CO₂ as the feed gas. To achieve these goals, comprehensive catalyst development studies are required. The first step involves investigating individual reaction steps and developing a single catalyst system for the desired alcoholic product. The second step involves investigating reactor design strategies such as multi/dual bed reactor, mixed bed reactor, and multilayered catalytic monolith reactor. The washcoated monolith reactor will be tested for CO₂ conversion reaction and compared with packed bed reactor. A detailed kinetic modeling study will be conducted for future technology/process development possibilities. Combining catalyst selection, operating parameter optimization, monolith reactor development, and kinetic modeling studies will create a path for large-scale operations. The research on CO₂ conversion into ethanol and higher alcohols will enhance the knowledge of other processes such as hydrogenation, CO₂ methanation, and Fischer Tropsch synthesis.