Methanol is one of the most important industrial chemicals and is currently in high global demand. Industrial methanol production primarily relies on the hydrogenation of CO and CO₂, a process that simultaneously reduces carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions while producing a valuable chemical product. In addition, the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction plays a crucial role in hydrogen production. Copper-based methanol synthesis catalysts are among the most advanced and widely used catalysts in the petrochemical industry. In industrial plants, synthesis gas is converted into methanol using these strategic catalysts.

In the present study, copper, zinc, and aluminum nitrate salts were employed to investigate the feasibility of synthesizing a catalyst composed of copper oxide (CuO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃). Furthermore, due to the requirement for effective adsorption and desorption of carbon monoxide, the effect of incorporating ruthenium into the catalyst formulation was also examined. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurements. The results indicate that the synthesis method used in this study is suitable for preparing this type of catalyst, and that the resulting catalysts exhibit good thermal stability under operating conditions, particularly at temperatures around 260 °C.