Surface functionalized highly porous date seed derived activated carbon and MoS_2 nanocomposites for hydrogenation of CO_2 into formic acid

摘要

In recent years, substantial progress has been made towards developing effective catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO2 into fuels. However, the quest for a robust catalyst with high activity and stability still remains challenging. In this study, we present a cost-effective catalyst composed of MoS2 nanosheets and functionalized porous date seed-derived activated carbon (f-DSAC) for hydrogenation of CO2 into formic acid (FA). Asfabricated MoS2/f-DSAC catalysts were characterized by FE-SEM, XRD, Raman, FT-IR, BET, and CO2-TPD analyses. At first, bicarbonate (HCO3-) was successfully converted into FA with a high yield of 88% at 200 degrees C for 180 min under 10 bar H-2 atmosphere. A possible reaction pathway for the conversion of HCO3- into FA is postulated. The catalyst has demonstrated high activity and long-term stability over five consecutive cycles. Additionally, MoS2/f-DSAC catalyst was effectively used for the conversion of gaseous CO2 into FA at 200 degrees C under 20 bar (CO2/H-2 = 1:1) over 15 h. The catalyst exhibited a remarkable TOF of 510 h(-1) with very low activation energy of 12 kJ mol(-1), thus enhancing the catalytic conversion rate of CO2 into FA. Thus, this work demonstrates the MoS2/f-DSAC nanohybrid system as an efficient non-noble catalyst for converting CO2 into fuels.