Patent ID: 8614164

Claim:
A process for producing an iron- and copper-comprising heterogeneous catalyst, which comprises the following steps: I. thermal decomposition of gaseous iron pentacarbonyl to give carbonyl iron powder having spherical primary particles, II. treatment of carbonyl iron powder obtained in step I with hydrogen, resulting in the metallic spherical primary particles at least partly agglomerating, III. surface oxidation of the iron particles from step II (agglomerates=secondary particles, and also any primary particles still present) to form iron oxide, IV. contacting of the particles from step III with an aqueous solution of a copper compound, V. drying in the presence of oxygen and subsequent calcination in the absence of oxygen, resulting firstly in oxygen-comprising copper compounds on the particles and finally reaction of these with the iron oxide to form a mixed oxide of the formula Cu x Fe 3-x O 4 , where 0<x≦1.