Research Progress on Enhancing CO and CO2 Hydrogenation to Alcohols and Hydrocarbons by the Hydrophobic Strategy

CO and CO₂ hydrogenation to alcohols and hydrocarbons has become a research hotspot in the field of low-carbon chemistry and energy due to its advantages of renewable energy utilization, environmental benefits, and process flexibility. Although the deactivation mechanism of CO and CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts remains unclear, the byproduct water generated during reactions is widely recognized as a key factor affecting the carbon utilization efficiency and inducing catalyst deactivation. Currently, the hydrophobicity strategy for regulating water desorption and transport in catalysts has been extensively adopted to enhance catalyst performance, promote alcohol and hydrocarbon production, and adjust the distribution of reaction products. In this review, the reaction pathways of CO and CO₂ hydrogenation to alcohols and hydrocarbons and the formation and action mechanism of water on the catalyst activity and product selectivity are first analyzed. Subsequently, the research progress of some typical hydrophobic strategies used in recent years is summarized. P-modified Al-based support catalysts and hydrophobic zeolite-coupled metal catalysts are regarded as highly promising candidates for enhancing the CO and CO₂ hydrogenation performances. Finally, the influences of different integration methods between hydrophobic additives and catalysts on the catalytic performance are also discussed, and the research outlook is proposed. This review provides important theoretical guidelines for developing CO and CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts with outstanding performance.