Selective Hydrogenation of CO₂ to Ethanol over Cobalt Catalysts

Methods for the hydrogenation of CO₂ into valuable chemicals are in great demand but their development is still challenging. Herein, we report the selective hydrogenation of CO₂ into ethanol over non-noble cobalt catalysts (CoAlO_x ), presenting a significant advance for the conversion of CO₂ into ethanol as the major product. By adjusting the composition of the catalysts through the use of different prereduction temperatures, the efficiency of CO₂ to ethanol hydrogenation was optimized; the catalyst reduced at 600 ° gave an ethanol selectivity of 92.1 % at 140 °C with an ethanol time yield of 0.444 mmol g^-1  h^-1 . Operando FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that the high ethanol selectivity over the CoAlO_x catalyst might be due to the formation of acetate from formate by insertion of *CH_x , a key intermediate in the production of ethanol by CO₂ hydrogenation.