MCM-41 bound ruthenium complex as heterogeneous catalyst for hydrogenation I: Effect of support, ligand and solvent on the catalyst performance

The functionalized MCM-41 mesoporous bound ruthenium complex was synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, BET, XRD and FTIR. Hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to formic acid was investigated over these catalysts under supercritical CO2 condition. The effect of reactant gas partial pressure, supports, solvents and ligands on the synthesis of formic acid was studied. These factors could influence the catalyst activity, stability and reuse performance greatly and no byproduct was detected. These promising catalysts also offered the industrial advantages such as easy separation.