Preferential synthesis of ethanol from syngas via dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation over an integrated catalyst.

An integrated catalyst that contains Fe5C2 and CuZnO-SiO2 with a dual-bed configuration was designed for the preferential synthesis of ethanol via dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation. The cooperation of the two catalyst components remarkably inhibited the formation of various byproducts, resulting in a significantly high ethanol yield of about 98%.