Reverse water-gas shift reaction over Pt/MoOx/TiO2: reverse Mars–van Krevelen mechanism via redox of supported MoOx

The reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction is a promising catalytic route for reducing CO2 emissions because its product, CO, is a key intermediate in various industrialized catalytic processes that produce fuels and chemicals. We describe herein a MoOx/TiO2-supported Pt catalyst (Pt(3)/MoOx(15)/TiO2; Pt loading = 3 wt%, MoO3 loading = 15 wt%) that promotes the RWGS reaction at low temperature (200–300 °C) with high activity and selectivity. The catalytic performance for both CO2 conversion and selectivity of Pt(3)/MoOx(15)/TiO2 is better than those of Pt catalysts on other supports and other metal catalysts supported on MoOx(15)/TiO2, as well as Cu– and Fe–Cr-based industrial catalysts. Moreover, results of operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies show that the reaction takes place via the reverse Mars–van Krevelen mechanism where H2 acts as a reducing agent to create oxygen vacancies on the supported Mo oxide species that are filled by CO2 as an oxidizing agent.