Carbon dioxide hydrogenation to aromatic hydrocarbons by using an iron/iron oxide nanocatalyst

The quest for renewable and cleaner energy sources to meet the rapid population and economic growth is more urgent than ever before. Being the most abundant carbon source in the atmosphere of Earth, CO₂ can be used as an inexpensive C1 building block in the synthesis of aromatic fuels for internal combustion engines. We designed a process capable of synthesizing benzene, toluene, xylenes and mesitylene from CO₂ and H₂ at modest temperatures (T = 380 to 540 °C) employing Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as catalyst. The synthesis of the catalyst and the mechanism of CO₂-hydrogenation will be discussed, as well as further applications of Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in catalysis.