To address challenges of sintering and carbon deposition in the dry reforming of methane (DRM), this study employs UiO-66 as a precursor for modifying Pt-based catalysts. A series of Pt/CeO₂-ZrO₂ catalysts were synthesized via incipient wetness impregnation using supports with varying Ce/Zr ratios prepared through a hydrothermal method. Comprehensive characterization—including CO₂-TPD, CH₄-TPD, XPS, XAFS, in situ DRIFTS, TG and Raman spectroscopy—revealed a volcano type correlation between DRM performance and the Ce/Zr ratio. Optimal catalytic activity and stability were achieved with the Pt/3CeO₂-ZrO₂ catalyst (Ce/Zr = 3∶1). This catalyst features highly dispersed platinum, primarily existing as single atoms and thermally stable PtO_x clusters. Furthermore, it exhibits the highest concentration of Ce³⁺ and Zr³⁺ species, abundant oxygen vacancies (Vo), and a high defect density, all of which are indicative of a strong metal-support interaction. Mechanistically, the continuous and stable DRM reaction is facilitated by oxygen-assisted CH₄ dissociation and hydrogen-assisted CO₂ dissociation. At 800 °C, this catalyst exhibited outstanding performance, with CH₄ and CO₂ conversion rates reaching 86% and 93%, respectively. Notably, a 10 h stability test revealed no detectable carbon deposition. These results confirm that the catalyst significantly enhances reaction kinetics while demonstrating superior activity, stability, and resistance to both coking and sintering.

A series of Co-based molecular sieve catalysts with different Si/Al ratios was prepared by the impregnation method. The microstructure properties of Co active sites were finely characterized by means of XRD, TEM, Raman, H₂-TPR, Py-FTIR and XPS technology. The results show that the surface Co species mainly exist in the form of CoO_x nanoclusters and isolated Co²⁺, and the latter exhibits better N₂O decomposition activity. Decreasing the Si/Al ratio of the MFI zeolite promotes the generation of isolated Co²⁺ active sites, thereby enhancing the catalytic activity. Compared with the Co/S-1 catalyst with pure silicon S-1 carrier, the Co/HZ60 with a low Si/Al ratio of ZSM-5 carrier reduces the temperature required for complete N₂O decomposition by 80 °C, and it shows excellent resistance to O₂ and NO.

The increase in social development and human activities has exacerbated challenges such as global warming and climate change, necessitating the exploration of efficient and clean alternative energy sources to mitigate global carbon emissions. Hydrogen energy is recognized as a crucial energy carrier for reducing carbon emissions due to its high combustion value (120 MJ/kg) and net-zero carbon emissions. Recently, the catalytic pyrolysis of methane for hydrogen production has garnered significant attention because it can simultaneously produce high-purity hydrogen and functional carbon materials. The primary challenges associated with this method include the development of catalysts that exhibit both high activity and resistance to deactivation caused by carbon deposition, as well as the efficient separation and high-value utilization of carbon products. Precise control of active sites, alloying strategies, support optimization, and tuning of the carbon-catalyst interface can significantly enhance the carbon-deposition resistance of solid catalysts. The introduction of catalytic systems based on molten media and the utilization of their dynamically refreshed gas-liquid reaction interfaces can fundamentally reduce deactivation and facilitate continuous carbon separation. This paper systematically reviews progress in solid and molten-medium catalysts for methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen and carbon. It emphasizes reaction mechanisms, catalytic performance and mechanisms that control carbon morphology. The paper also discusses the strategies for efficient separation and purification of carbon products in molten media and explores the high-value application prospects of carbon products.

Steam reforming of biomass-derived alcohols (ethanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, etc.) represents a critical pathway for sustainable hydrogen energy systems. This review systematically examines recent advances in heterogeneous catalysis, elucidating structure-performance correlations between alcohol molecular structures and catalyst requirements. Ethanol is prone to dehydration and methanation side reactions, while ethylene glycol leverages its dihydroxy structure to enhance dehydrogenation and C–C cleavage, improving H₂ selectivity. In contrast, glycerol suffers from intensified reaction network complexity and carbon-induced deactivation due to its trihydroxy configuration. The unified catalyst design strategy involves precisely modulating metal electronic structures (e.g., alloying/atomic-level dispersion) and support oxygen mobility (e.g., rare-earth modification) to synergistically optimize dehydrogenation and carbon resistance. Ni-based catalysts dominate owing to low cost and high C–C bond activation capability, yet their stability requires synergistic enhancement via alloying (Fe, Co, Cu, etc.) or rare-earth modification (Ce, Pr, La, etc.). Noble metal systems (Pt, Rh, Ir, etc.) exhibit low-temperature activity advantages, but are transitioning strategically toward single-atom catalysis and high-entropy-oxide-based multicomponent architectures under cost constraints. Future efforts are suggested to integrate in situ/operando characterization with theoretical modeling to uncover dynamic structure-activity relationships, establish elementary reaction databases for data-driven rational catalyst design, and achieve cross-scale catalyst-reactor synergy, thereby providing a scientific foundation for efficient sustainable hydrogen production.

Perovskite-type catalysts have exhibited significant potential for CO₂ methanation. However, their efficacy at low temperatures and the underlying catalytic mechanisms remain inadequately understood. In this study, a perovskite catalyst LaNiO₃/CeO₂ was successfully constructed via the sol-gel method combined with an impregnation process. By comparing the physicochemical properties and catalytic activity of LaNiO₃, LaCeNiO₄, Ni/CeO₂ and La-Ni/CeO₂ catalysts, the underlying mechanism for the low-temperature CO₂ methanation catalyzed by LaNiO₃/CeO₂ was elucidated. During reduction, the LaNiO₃ perovskite structure in situ decomposed to generate highly dispersed and small-sized Ni⁰ particles with an average diameter of 12.6 nm. The CeO₂ support provided abundant oxygen vacancies (Ce³⁺/(Ce³⁺+Ce⁴⁺) ratio of 9.2%) as well as weak and moderate basic sites, synergistically promoting CO₂ adsorption and activation. The interaction between the active phase and the CeO₂ support further stabilized the dispersion of Ni⁰ and optimized the surface basicity and oxygen vacancy concentration. Under catalytic conditions at 200−300 °C, LaNiO₃/CeO₂ exhibited nearly 100% selectivity toward CH₄, while CO₂ conversion increased monotonically to 23.6%. This study clarified the crucial role of the perovskite pre-structuration and in situ reduction strategy in regulating the dispersion of active metals and the catalyst structure, laying a theoretical foundation for the design of catalysts for low-temperature CO₂ methanation.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential for fuel cells and metal-air batteries, but its slow kinetics and high overpotential restrict battery performance. Traditional platinum-based catalysts are expensive, have limited reserves and exhibit poor stability, hindering large-scale commercialization. This paper reviews recent advances in the research of biomass/coal/-based electrocatalysts for ORR. Covering key aspects such as raw material properties, preparation methods, structural regulation, and practical application cases, this work aims to provide theoretical guidance for developing high-performance, low-cost non-precious metal ORR carbon electrocatalysts. In order to improve the performance of carbon-based ORR electrocatalysts and promote their industrialization, future investigations into guaranteeing raw material homogeneity, precisely regulating of active sites, optimizing structural design, and developing large-scale preparation procedures will serve as the key directions for its further breakthrough in performance and industrialization.

Mercury in the emission from coal combustion is highly toxic, volatile and bioaccumulative, posing a long-term threat to the ecosystems and human health. In this paper, the current status and control policies of mercury emissions from coal combustion in China were systematically reviewed, and the distribution characteristics and transformation mechanisms of mercury during coal combustion were analyzed, with a focus on the mechanisms and performance of collaborative mercury removal in the pollution control devices after ultra-low emission retrofitting. Furthermore, a progressive strategy of “synergistic enhancement-deep purification-resource recycling” for mercury emission reduction was proposed, including three tiers: optimizing the operational parameters of pollution control systems to improve the synergistic mercury removal efficiency of various control devices; developing an efficient mercury adsorption and catalytic oxidation technology for coal-fired flue gas, with a focus on the industrially applicable mercury removal technologies; developing an integrated mercury removal and recovery technology for coal-fired power plants (e.g., magnetospheres mercury removal and mercury recovery technologies), focusing on the high-value utilization of mercury. Finally, combining the latest international compliance requirements and domestic environmental tax policies, the future research directions on the emission control of mercury in coal-fired flue gas in China were outlined, providing theoretical and technical support for the China’s international commitments and near-zero emissions of coal combustion pollutants.

Methane cracking driven by electric power holds significant promise in the context of the rapid development of renewable energy. The effects of carrier gas ratio, input power, and inlet gas flow rate on CH₄ cracking performance were systematically investigated in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The variation of temperature distribution and reaction energy intensity were also examined. The experimental results indicate that CH₄ conversion and gaseous product formation are promoted by increasing the DBD input power or decreasing the inlet gas flow rate. At an input power of 90 W and an inlet gas flow rate of 200 mL/min, the single-pass CH₄ conversion reach 46.6%, with an H₂ yield of 23.3%, demonstrating that CH₄ cracking is governed by electron induced. While the Joule heating from the inner and outer electrodes is relatively limited. The reaction energy intensity increases as the CH₄ conversion decreases. When the inlet gas flow rate increases from 200 to 800 mL/min, the energy intensity rises by approximately 2.8 times, indicating that higher inlet gas flow rates enhance the convective heat transfer and shorten the gas residence time, thereby suppressing deep CH₄ cracking. Moreover, BOLSIG+ calculations further reveal that CH₄ activation is dominated by electron induced vibrational excitation, in which stepwise energy accumulation drives C–H bond dissociation. The energy transfer and species transformation pathways of overall CH₄ cracking process, which comprises electron energy injection, vibrational excitation, stepwise dissociation, radical chain extension, and final product formation, can be summarized into three stages, i.e. methane activation, radical evolution, and product formation.

The catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ to ethanol represents a pivotal technology for achieving carbon neutrality and producing high-value fuels and chemicals, where developing the catalysts of high activity, high ethanol selectivity, and long-term stability is vitally important. Currently, the catalysts for the CO₂ hydrogenation to produce ethanol mainly include noble metal-based catalysts (Pt, Pd, Rh, etc.) and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalysts (Fe, Co, Mo, etc.); among them, the cobalt-based catalysts have emerged as an ideal candidate for the thermocatalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ to ethanol, owing to their unique electronic structure and tunability. However, the inherent chemical inertness of the relatively stable CO₂ molecule poses a significant barrier to its activation. Furthermore, under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, the hydrogenation of CO₂ is highly prone to forming undesirable byproducts such as methane or CO, whereas the selective activation of CO₂ and its subsequent conversion into ethanol remain particularly challenging. Accordingly, current processes for the CO₂ hydrogenation to ethanol are greatly limited by the low single-pass conversion of CO₂, insufficient selectivity toward the target product (ethanol < 60%), and the tendency of catalysts to rapid deactivation. This review aims to conduct a systematic and in-depth analysis of the recent research progress of the cobalt-based catalysts used in the conversion of CO₂ into ethanol. We first establish the basic reaction framework, clarify the thermodynamic boundary conditions, and determine the kinetic steps that control the overall reaction rate. When delving into the molecular-level events, we analyze the complex microscopic mechanisms responsible for the two most critical steps: the initial formation of C–C bonds and the subsequent controlled removal of oxygen. The formation of C–C bonds is a necessary and particularly delicate step for generating ethanol and other C₂₊ products and the reaction mechanism of this step, whether through CO insertion, CO dimerization, or hydroxyl carbonyl (CHOH) coupling, is subject to intense debate and strongly influenced by the properties of the active sites. We then critically assess the synergistic effects among various active sites such as metallic Co, Co₂C, CoO_x and bimetallic configurations on the reaction mechanism; in particular, the structure-activity relationships influenced by the support effects and promoter modifications are thoroughly discussed. Lastly, the application of inverse catalysts and tandem catalytic systems in ethanol synthesis is reviewed. The role of water as a hydrogen source and its impact on the reaction are analyzed in depth. This review tries to integrate current knowledge and identifies existing shortcomings, which presents a forward-looking outlook on the innovative research directions for the cobalt-based catalysts and emphasizes the necessity of conducting complex in situ/operational characterization and theoretical modeling in the design of next generation multifunctional catalysts. All these may provide a valuable reference framework to stimulate and guide the development of future efficient cobalt-based catalytic systems, deepen the basic understanding of reaction processes and mechanisms, and ultimately accelerate the progress of CO₂ hydrogenation technology for sustainable ethanol production.

Methane (CH₄), the main component of natural gas, is regarded as an ideal feedstock for producing high-value-added chemicals and clean fuels due to its high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio. However, the CH₄ molecule is highly chemically inert, and traditional thermal catalytic reforming processes suffer from long reaction pathways and high energy consumption. In contrast, photocatalytic technology enables highly selective conversion of CH₄ under mild conditions, even at room temperature, offering environmental benefits, economic advantages, and process efficiency, thereby facilitating the transition toward low-carbon chemical production. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in room temperature photocatalytic systems for direct CH₄ conversion. It begins by elucidating the mechanisms, product distributions, and inherent challenges of four key reaction pathways: partial oxidation, non-oxidative coupling, oxidative coupling and oxidative carbonylation of CH₄. The discussion then shifts to the critical role of catalyst architecture, focusing on the design of semiconductor supports, the modulation of metal sites, and the integration of advanced porous frameworks. Furthermore, this review also addresses reactor design and process intensification strategies, including batch and continuous-flow reactors, novel structured reactors, as well as photo-electro and photo-thermo synergistic catalytic approaches. Finally, the reaction mechanisms of photocatalytic CH₄ conversion are summarized. Despite considerable progress, this field still faces challenges in fundamental understanding, performance evaluation, and technological integration. Future efforts should focus on in-depth mechanistic studies, standardization of evaluation protocols, development of non-noble metal catalysts, optimization of system processes, and comprehensive sustainability assessments.