Abstract:
In recent years, substantial progress has been made towards developing effective catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO sub(2) into fuels. However, the quest for a robust catalyst with high activity and stability still remains challenging. In this study, we present a cost-effective catalyst composed of MoS sub(2) nanosheets and functionalized porous date seed-derived activated carbon (f-DSAC) for hydrogenation of CO sub(2) into formic acid (FA). As-fabricated MoS sub(2)/f-DSAC catalysts were characterized by FE-SEM, XRD, Raman, FT-IR, BET, and CO sub(2) -TPD analyses. At first, bicarbonate (HCO sub(3)-) was successfully converted into FA with a high yield of 88 percent at 200 degrees C for 180 min under 10 bar H sub(2) atmosphere. A possible reaction pathway for the conversion of HCO sub(3)- into FA is postulated. The catalyst has demonstrated high activity and long-term stability over five consecutive cycles. Additionally, MoS sub(2)/f-DSAC catalyst was effectively used for the conversion of gaseous CO sub(2) into FA at 200 degrees C under 20 bar (CO sub(2)/H sub(2) = 1:1) over 15 h. The catalyst exhibited a remarkable TOF of 510 h sup(-1) with very low activation energy of 12 kJ mol sup(-1), thus enhancing the catalytic conversion rate of CO sub(2) into FA. Thus, this work demonstrates the MoS sub(2)/f-DSAC nanohybrid system as an efficient non-noble catalyst for converting CO sub(2) into fuels.
