Electrified reverse water-gas shift via direct Joule heating of Mo-based conductive catalysts

The endothermic reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction is one of the key routes for CO 2 valorization, however the conventional externally heated RWGS suffers from substantial energy losses due to the heating of non-reactive regions. The direct Joule heating inside a fixed-bed reactor concentrates heat within the catalyst bed, thereby significantly reducing overall energy consumption. Here, we report an electrified RWGS (eRWGS) process based on direct Joule heating of molybdenum-based conductive samples, which simultaneously serve as both the heating element and the active catalytic phase. Near-equilibrium CO 2 conversion up to 70.5% at 750 °C was obtained with complete selectivity to CO. The proposed eRWGS process achieved 26–60% energy savings compared with conventional external heating. Moreover, a CO production rate of 963 mmol·g cat −1 ·h −1 was achieved at space velocity of 336 000 mL·g cat −1 ·h −1 with input power of only 40 W. The system remained stable over 200 h with steady conversion, CO selectivity and electrical resistance. The obtained results demonstrated the direct Joule heating as a highly efficient and durable strategy for electrified CO 2 utilization, offering a scalable pathway towards renewable syngas production via electrified chemical processes.