Layered Na2Ti3O7-supported Ru catalyst for ambient CO2 methanation

The methanation of CO2 offers a practical solution for storing renewable energy and mitigating global climate risks. However, the primary challenge lies in achieving efficient CH4 production at lower temperatures. Here, we report a layered Na2Ti3O7-supported Ru catalyst as a stabilizer of low-valence Ru that enables CO2 activation at low temperatures. This catalyst leads to a CH4 production rate of 33.6 and 139.1 mmol gcat−1 h−1 at 140 and 180 °C, respectively, with a gas hourly space velocity of 24,000 mL g−1 h−1 at ambient pressure (1 bar), significantly surpassing state-of-the-art catalysts performance. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrates robustness to on-off intermittency and 220-hour long-term stability tests, indicating its reliability under challenging conditions. The catalyst is also successfully synthesized at the gram scale and on a 3D-printed metal self-catalytic reactor by a facile ion-exchange method, confirming its excellent scalability. This study marks a significant step forward in the design of catalysts for the low temperature CO2 hydrogenation.