Highly Selective Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Lower Olefins

Conversion of CO2 to value-added chemicals has been a long-standing objective, and direct hydrogenation of CO2 to lower olefins is highly desirable but still challenging. Herein, we report a selective conversion of CO2 to lower olefins through CO2 hydrogenation over a ZnZrO/SAPO tandem catalyst fabricated with a ZnO-ZrO, solid solution and a Zn-modified SAPO-34 zeolite, which can achieve a selectivity for lower olefins as high as 80-90% among hydrocarbon products. This is realized on the basis of the dual functions of the tandem catalyst: hydrogenation of CO2 on the ZnO-ZrO2, solid solution and lower olefins production on the SAPO zeolite. The thermodynamic and kinetic coupling between the tandem reactions enable the highly efficient conversion of CO2 to lower olefins. Furthermore, this catalyst is stable toward the thermal and sulfur treatments, showing the potential industrial application.