Effect of metal loading and Ce addition on biochar-supported Co catalysts for CO₂ methanation

<p dir="ltr">CO₂ hydrogenation to methane is an interesting topic that can result in CO₂ mitigation, providing a solution for global warming. Using a sustainable catalyst in that process will be considered as a plus point that makes the whole system (material + application) an eco-friendly process. Therefore, scientists have focused on the biochar-supported catalysts used in the CO₂ methanation. The use of cobalt (Co) catalysts supported on sugarcane bagasse biochar (SCBB) has not been investigated for the methanation of CO₂. Therefore, this work investigated the Co/SCBB systems in the CO₂ methanation with different Co loadings starting from 0.1 to 0.8 mmol_Co-salt/gSCB. In addition, the effect of Ce was studied, proving that Ce addition improved the catalytic activity significantly, as the catalyst 0.5Co-0.25Ce/SCBB showed the foremost conversion of CO₂ (60% at 500 °C) and the best selectivity of methane (80% at 430 °C). This research lays the foundation for utilizing Ce to enhance the catalytic properties of various transition metals that can not offer high catalytic activity alone in the carbon dioxide methanation.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Biochar<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00459-x" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00459-x</a></p>