Status and Prospects of Copper-Based Methanol Synthesis Catalyst Research and Development

This paper systematically introduces the development process and achievements of China's methanol synthesis catalyst.China's methanol industry started in the sixties of the united alcohol production process, when the catalyst as ZnO-CuO-Cr₂O₃ system was used in high temperature and high pressure, and its life was very short about 10 days to a month.For solving the production problems, the Research Institute of Nanjing Chemical Industrial Group had developed two new types of ZnO-CuO-Al₂O₃ catalysts as 72-2 and 72-7 type, and later developed the C207-type still in use today.In the development process at the same time, we also began to develop a single alcohol process.There were two series catalyst used in the single alcohol process, namely, Cu-Zn-Al and Cu-Zn-Al-V series; the former represented by Research Institute of Nanjing Chemical Industrial Group's C207, C301, C301-1, NC501-1, C306 and C307 type, the latter represented by the Southwest Research & Design Institute of Chemical Industry's CNJ202, C302, C302-1, C302-2, CNJ206 and XNC-98 type.This paper introduces the history of the development of methanol catalyst, reviews the achievements and shortcomings, and explores further development direction for China's methanol industry to provide reference to catch up with the world advanced level.