Chenxi Zhang

The hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO2) to hydrocarbons is a key solution addressing the dual challenges of greenhouse gas utilization and sustainable energy consumption. Chenxi Zhang's research focuses on chemical engineering. By developing novel catalytic systems, he combines industrial CO2 emissions with green hydrogen produced from wind or solar energy to synthesize high-value-added sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Chenxi Zhang and his collaborators proposed a biomimetic "catalytic shunting" technology. Inspired by biological metabolic regulation, this approach provides a new paradigm for breaking the "activity-selectivity" trade-off in CO2 hydrogenation. This approach opens up new avenues for biomimetic catalyst design, providing theoretical support for the study of complex multi-step reaction systems such as CO2 hydrogenation to SAF.

Chenxi Zhang and his team innovatively designed an efficient catalytic system for CO2 hydrogenation to SAF based on “catalytic shunting." Exceptional performance at 350°C and 3 MPa is achieved: a single-pass CO2 conversion exceeding 60%, a hydrocarbon selectivity of 85%, and a catalyst yield decay rate of only 0.021%/h over 1,000 hours of continuous operation. Industrial powder catalyst has been produced at ton-level.

In addition, Chenxi Zhang and his collaborators are committed to the industrialization of this technology (CO2 hydrogenation to SAF, CO2AF). The performance of the industrial powder catalyst and reactor were fully validated in a 100-ton-per-year pilot plant in 2023 and the construction of a 1,000-ton-per-year industrial demonstration project is now completed.