Surface functionalized highly porous date seed derived activated carbon and MoS2 nanocomposites for hydrogenation of CO2 into formic acid

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.