Bosch reaction

This article is about the chemical reaction. For other uses, see Bosch (disambiguation).
Carl Bosch in 1908

The Bosch reaction is a catalytic chemical reaction between carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) that produces elemental carbon (C,graphite), water, and a 10% return of invested heat. CO2 is usually reduced by H2 to carbon in presence of a catalyst (e.g. iron (Fe)) and requires a temperature level of 530–730 °C (986–1,346 °F).[1][2]

The overall reaction is as follows:

CO2(g) + 2 H2(g) → C(s) + 2 H2O(l)

The above reaction is actually the result of two reactions. The first reaction, the reverse water gas shift reaction, is a fast one:

CO2 + H2 → CO + H2O

The second reaction is the rate determining step:

CO + H2 → C + H2O

The overall reaction produces 2.3×103 joules for every gram of carbon dioxide reacted at 650 °C. Reaction temperatures are in the range of 450 to 600 °C.

The reaction can be accelerated in the presence of an iron, cobalt or nickel catalyst. Ruthenium also serves to speed up the reaction.

  1. ^ Messerschmid, Ernst and Reinhold Bertrand. Space Stations. Springer. 1999.
  2. ^ Porosoff, Marc D.; Yan, Binhang; Chen, Jingguang G. (2016). "Catalytic reduction of CO 2 by H 2 for synthesis of CO, methanol and hydrocarbons: challenges and opportunities". Energy & Environmental Science. 9 (1): 62–73. doi:10.1039/C5EE02657A. ISSN 1754-5692. OSTI 1335402.