Bifunctional catalyst and method of use for hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to hydrocarbons

A method of hydrogenating carbon dioxide to produce at least one hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane, and butane, the method comprising contacting an input gas stream containing carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) gases with a bifunctional catalyst comprising a metal oxide in combination with a redox active ceramic support, wherein the redox active ceramic support comprises the formula BaZr1-x-y-zM1yM2zYxO3-δ, wherein:

• 0.1≤x≤0.2, 0≤y≤0.8, 0≤z≤0.8, 0<(x+y+z)<1, and 0≤δ≤0.1, wherein δ represents oxygen-ion vacancy;
• M1 and M2 are selected from lanthanide elements, except that M2 may alternatively be a Group 5 transition metal;
• and
• the metal oxide is selected from iron oxides and cobalt oxides and is present in the bifunctional catalyst in an amount of 10-50 wt %.