Method for forming olefins from carbon dioxide

A method for forming olefins from carbon dioxide (CO2), comprising:

• pulverizing and calcining a red mud catalyst composition at a temperature of at least 700° C. to form a calcined red mud catalyst composition, wherein the red mud catalyst composition comprises 7.89 to 18.77 wt. % Al, 4.98 to 23.88 wt. % Fe, 0.07 to 0.18 wt. % Mg, 4.47 to 7.66 wt. % Na, 0.05 to 0.19 wt. % P, 0.49 to 3.86 wt. % Ti, 0.05 to 0.16 wt. % V, 0.98 to about 2.57 wt. % C, 0.12 to 0.16 wt. % S, and less than 0.01 wt. % Mn, each wt. % based on a total weight of the red mud catalyst composition by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES),
• wherein the red mud catalyst composition comprises particles having a specific surface area in a range of 16.6 to 58.0 square meter per gram (m2/g) and a cumulative specific pore volume in a range of 0.035 to 0.067 cubic centimeter per gram (cm3/g);
• soaking and mixing particles of the pulverized and calcined red mud catalyst composition in a salt solution having a concentration of 0.5 to 10 wt. % KF based on a total weight of the salt solution, to form a reaction composition comprising a modified red mud catalyst composition;
• and
• separating the modified red mud catalyst composition from the reaction composition and drying the separated modified red mud catalyst composition to obtain the modified red mud catalyst composition:
• introducing a gaseous mixture of CO2 and H2 into a reactor containing particles of the modified red mud catalyst composition;
• and
• reacting at least a portion of the CO2 and H2 in the gaseous mixture in the presence of the modified red mud catalyst composition at a temperature of 200 to 800° C., and under a pressure ranging from 5 to 100 bar to form a gaseous product comprising a chemical reduction product of the CO2;
• wherein a volume ratio of the CO2 to the H2 in the gaseous mixture is in a range of 1:10 to 10:1;
• and
• wherein the gaseous product comprises an amount of 6.71% to 12.31% of ethylene, 7.17% to 10.95% of propylene, and 0.54% to 0.83% of aromatics, based on the total weight of the gaseous product.