Cu/MgO Reverse Water Gas Shift Catalyst with Unique CO Adsorption Behaviors.

Activation of inert CO molecules for the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction is tackled by incorporating magnesium oxide as a support material for copper, forming a Cu/MgO supported catalyst. The RWGS performance is greatly improved when compared with pure Cu or carbon supported Cu (Cu/C). Operating under a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 300,000 mL ⋅ g ⋅ h, the Cu/MgO catalyst demonstrates high activity, maintaining over 70 % equilibrium conversion and nearly 100 % CO selectivity in a temperature range of 300-600 °C.