Environmental Catalysis Module: Students examines different types of catalytic systems, including heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis. Depending on the knowledge they gained during activities, the students are then asked to design their projects. Our Project: Methanol Synthesizer Catalyst : A catalyst composed of copper alloys with ceria (cerium-oxide) nanoparticles, sometimes also mixed with titania. The catalyst were exposed to pressure of 0.5 atom of CO2 and 4.5 atom of H2 at a range of reaction temperatures 500-600 Kalvin. By: ABJ_ Cobalt8, Ali Bin Jassim Secondary Independent School for Boys.

1. AL-Bairaq
I am Discovering Materials 8th Cycle
Environmental Catalysis Module
Methanol Synthesizer Catalyst
ABJ-COBALT8
ALI SALAH ALI RASID
HILAL SAYAH

2. Outline
 Introduction
 Activity 1: The decomposition of H2O2 using yeast
as a catalyst
 Activity 2: Searching for Catalysts
 Activity 3: Homogeneous and Heterogeneous
Acid Catalysis
 Activity 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to Degrade an
Air Pollutant
 Activity 5: Using Photocatalysis to Degrade a
Water Pollutant
 Design Project: Methanol Synthesizer Catalyst

3. Introduction
A catalyst: is a substance that increases the rate of a
chemical reaction without itself undergoing any
permanent chemical change.
Environmental catalysts is using catalysts to
clean environment. They play an essential role in the
industry and in pollution prevention.

4. Activity 1: The decomposition of H2O2
using yeast as a catalyst
 Objectives: To know the effect of a catalyst have on
the decomposition reaction of hydrogen peroxide
(H2O2)?

5. Activity 1: The decomposition of H2O2 using
yeast as a catalyst
2 spoons soap
H2O of yeast Food dye
Yeast
H2O2
Result

6. Activity 2: Searching for Catalysts
 Catalysis is the increase in the rate of a
chemical reaction due to the participation of an
additional substance called a catalyst. With a
catalyst, reactions occur faster and with less
energy. Because catalysts are not consumed, they
are recycled. Often only tiny amounts are
required.

7. Activity 2: Searching for Catalysts
Environmental catalysts is using catalysts
to clean environment. They play an essential role
in the industry and in pollution prevention.

8. Activity 3: Using a Heterogeneous Acid
Catalyst
 Aim: to detect the effect of the heterogenous acid
catalyst on the hydrolysis of methyl acetate.

9. Activity 3: Using a Heterogeneous
Acid Catalyst
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
pH values in MA, Methyl Acetate +Catalyst
& Water +Catalyst
0 2 4 6 8
pHe
Time (min)
MA
MA CAT
WATER + CAT

10. Activity 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to
Degrade an Air Pollutant
Objective:
 To know the relative rates of
catalytic oxidation of ammonia
using copper turnings.
 Our colleagues used iron fibers
and copper beads.

11. Activity 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to
Degrade an Air Pollutant

12. Activity 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to
Degrade an Air Pollutant
Copper
turnings
.
Ammonia +
phenolphthalein
H2O +
phenolphthalein

13. Act. 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to Degrade
an Air Pollutant (result)

14. Activity 5: Using Photo catalysis to
Degrade a Water Pollutant
 Aim: to find out the effect of photo catalysis on the
methylene blue as a water pulutant.
 Methods: We used Methylene blue with and
without Titanium dioxide.
Dark UV Sun

15. Activity 5: Using Photo catalysis to
Degrade a Water Pollutant
Petri
dishes
MB &
MB+TiO2
UV light
Concentrations
Scale

16. Activity 5: Using Photo catalysis to
Degrade a Water Pollutant
 Results:
1.5%
1.5%

17. Our Project: Methanol Synthesizer Catalyst
Introduction
Air pollution became a very important
environmental problem due to great civilization. The
most wide spread pollutant is CO2.
The transformation of CO2 into alcohols or other
hydrocarbon compounds is challenging because of the
difficulties associated with the chemical activation of
CO2 by heterogeneous catalysts.

18. Our Project: Methanol
Synthesizer Catalyst
Pure metals and bimetallic systems used for this task
usually have low catalytic activity.
There is an experimental and theoretical evidence for a
completely different type of site for CO2 activation: a copper-ceria
interface that is highly efficient for the synthesis of
methanol.
The combination of metal and oxide sites in the copper-ceria
interface affords complementary chemical properties that
lead to special reaction pathways for the copper-ceria &
copper-ceria-titania
This is under research till now

19. Material
 Highly active catalysts alloys: copper-ceria and
copper-ceria-titania catalysts for methanol synthesis
from CO2 . Also we need hydrogen to be passed with
CO2 under pressure and high temperature on the
catalysts.

20. Methods
 A catalyst composed of copper alloys with
ceria (cerium-oxide) nanoparticles,
sometimes also mixed with titania.
 The catalyst were exposed to pressure of 0.5
atom of CO2 and 4.5 atom of H2 at a range of
reaction temperatures 500-600 Kalvin.
Cu Ceria + Cu Ceria Titania
CO2 + 3H2 ----- ------------ →CH3OH + H2O
227-327 ºC and pressure
Ref.: Jesús Graciani et al. (2014): Highly active copper-ceria and copper-ceria-titania catalysts for methanol
synthesis from CO 2. Science 345, 546, DOI: 10.1126/science.1253057 .

21. Results and Conclusion
 This catalytic reaction if used in a widely will be a
new source of Methanol which is used in many
industrial processes. Also we can pump it directly to
the vehicle engine to operate it.
 We can find by product in the exhaust, but we can
use filters to remove hard particles and take nitrogen
oxides out in order to take only CO2.
 Also an important result will be the cleaning of
environment.

22. Acknowledgment
Many thanks to my teachers, school and AL-Bairaq team
from Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University
for supporting us during our journey with a AL-Bairaq.
We would like to thank the sponsors UNESCO, Ras Gas,
Maersk oil and Shell.