Spherical carbons were prepared successfully from aqueous glucose using hydrothermal method. After covered with aqueous Cu2+, Zn2+ and Al3+ ions during the co-precipitation treatment, carbons were removed via calcination to yield CuO-ZnO-Al2O3 nanoparticles. HZSM-5 membrane, which was synthesized using tetrapropylammonium hydroxide as templating agent, was packed onto CuO-ZnO-Al2O3 nanoparticles hydrothermally to form HZSM-5 packed CuO-ZnO-Al2O3 nanoparticles. It was characterized by the method of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and nitrogen sorption measurement. HZSM-5 packed CuO-ZnO-Al2O3 nanoparticles were used as catalysts for the CO2 hydrogenation to dimethyl ether. The catalyst activity was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor. Under the reaction conditions of pressure at 3.0 MPa, space velocity (SV) of 1800 mL g(cat)(-1) h(-1), volume ratio of CO2/H-2 to 1:3 and temperature at 270 degrees C, the conversion of CO2 could reach to 48.3%, with a dimethylether yield and selectivity of 23.4% and 48.5%, respectively. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.