PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain ethanol useful as a raw material for various chemicals, medicines, agrochemicals, etc., by the catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide in the presence of a catalyst under specific conditions. SOLUTION: In the presence of a catalyst comprising iron, copper, zinc, potassium, and chromium and/or silicon with the atom ratios: Cu/Fe, Zn/Fe, K/Fe and Cr/Fe or Si/Fe of (0.2-3.0), (0.2-3.0), (0.01-0.5) and (0.001-0.2), respectively, carbon dioxide is catalytically hydrogenated at 100-600 deg.C under a pressure of 2-300atm to obtain the objective ethanol. Another catalyst comprising iron, copper, potassium, a group VIII element selected from cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum, and chromium and/or silicon with the atom ratios: Cu/Fe, Zn/Fe, K/Fe, group VIII element/Fe, Cr/Fe or Si/Fe of (0.2-3.0), (0.2-3.0), (0.01-0.5), (0.00001-2) and (0.001-0.2), respectively, may also be used.