Perovskite-Type LaCoO3-Based Catalysts for Higher Alcohol Synthesis from Syngas: Advances in Synthesis, Characterization, and Mechanism over the Past Decade

Gulim Jetpisbayeva, Nurbanu Sarova, G.A. Seitbekova

2026

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DOI 10.3390/catal16060543
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

The selective conversion of syngas (CO + H2) to higher alcohols (C2+OH) via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is a strategically important but challenging process, requiring catalysts that can simultaneously sustain C–C chain growth and preserve C–O bonds in reactive intermediates. Over the past decade (2015–2025), perovskite-type complex oxides with the formula ABO3 have emerged as powerful precatalysts for this application, with LaCoO3 attracting particular attention due to its structural flexibility, controllable reducibility, and the unique catalytic role of the La2O3 phase formed upon reduction. This review systematically covers recent advances in synthesis strategies for LaCoO3 and substituted perovskites, including sol–gel, co-precipitation, mechanochemical, and template-assisted (KIT-6, SBA-15) methods; effects of A-site (Sr) and B-site (Cu, Ga, Ni, Mn) substitution on reducibility, active phase dispersion, and product selectivity; alkali promotion and its interaction with the perovskite-derived active phase; mechanistic understanding of the alcohol-forming pathway, including the Co0/Co3+ bifunctional site concept, CO insertion mechanism, and the role of La2O3 in suppressing the Boudouard reaction; and catalyst stability and deactivation pathways under FTS conditions. Original data from LaCoO3 catalysts prepared by co-precipitation with ethylene glycol (LCO-1: S_KOH = 90%, Y_KOH = 57 mg·g−1·h−1) and via citrate/KIT-6 template synthesis (LCO/KIT-6: Y_KOH = 80 mg·g−1·h−1, S_BET = 220 m2/g) at 240 °C and 2 MPa serve as the primary experimental reference throughout. Key challenges, including the surface area–selectivity trade-off, long-term stability under industrial conditions, and opportunities in CO2 hydrogenation, are critically discussed.