A novel fused iron catalyst for ammonia synthesis promoted with rare earth gangue

Rare earth gangue, which mainly consists of mixtures of light rare earths such as lanthana, ceria, neodymium oxide and praseodymium oxide, was used as the promoter of fused iron catalysts for ammonia synthesis. The result showed that the activity of the catalyst promoted with rare earth gangue was comparable with those of commercial iron catalysts with high amount of cobalt. The role of rare earths was owed to their advantages for favoring the deep reduction of the main composite in catalyst, i.e., iron oxide. This fmding indicated that the use of rare earth gangue could decrease the content of cobalt or even completely replace cobalt, which was used to be regarded as unsub- stitutable promoters for high performance ammonia catalyst; therefore, the cost of fused iron catalysts would decrease significantly.

Selective oxidation of methane to formaldehyde by oxygen over silica-supported iron catalysts

FeOx-SiO2 catalysts prepared by a sol-gel method were studied for the selective oxidation of methane by oxygen. A single-pass formaldehyde yield of 2.0% was obtained over the FeOx-SiO2 with an iron content of 0.5 wt% at 898 K. This 0.5 wt% FeOx-SiO2 catalyst demonstrated significantly higher catalytic performances than the 0.5 wt% FeOx/SiO2 prepared by an impregnation method. The correlation between the catalytic performances and the characterizations with UV-Vis and H2-TPR suggested that the higher dispersion of iron species in the catalyst prepared by the sol-gel method was responsible for its higher catalytic activity for formaldehyde formation. The modification of the FeOx-SiO2 by phosphorus enhanced the formaldehyde selectivity, and a single-pass formaldehyde yield of 2.4% could be attained over a P-FeOx-SiO2 catalyst （P/Fe = 0.5） at 898 K. Raman spectroscopic measurements indicated the formation of FePO4 nanoclusters in this catalyst, which were more selective toward formaldehyde formation.

Effects of Potassium and Manganese Promoters on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube-Supported Iron Catalysts for CO_2 Hydrogenation

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes （NCNTs） were used as a support for iron （Fe） nanoparticles applied in car- bon dioxide （CO_2） hydrogenation at 633 K and 25 bar （1 bar = 10-5 Pa）. The Fe/NCNT catalyst promoted with both potassium （K） and manganese （Mn） showed high performance in CO_2 hydrogenation, reaching 34.9% conversion with a gas hourly space velocity （GHSV） of 3.1 L-（g·h）-1. Product selectivities were high for olefin products and low for short-chain alkanes for the K-promoted catalysts. When Fe/NCNT catalyst was promot- ed with both K and Mn, the catalytic activity was stable for 60 h of reaction time. The structural effect of the Mn promoter was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, temperature-programmed reduction （TPR） with molecular hydrogen （H2）, and in situ X-ray absorption near-edge structure （XANES） analysis. The Mn pro- moter stabilized wtistite （FeO） as an intermediate and lowered the TPR onset temperature. Catalytic ammo- nia （NH_3） decomposition was used as an additional probe reaction for characterizing the promoter effects. The Fe/NCNT catalyst promoted with both K and Mn had the highest catalytic activity, and the Mn-promoted Fe/NCNT catalysts had the highest thermal stability under reducing conditions.

Systematic variation of the sodium/sulfur promoter content on carbon-supported iron catalysts for the Fischer–Tropsch to olefins reaction

The Fischer–Tropsch to olefins（FTO） process is a method for the direct conversion of synthesis gas to lower C–Colefins. Carbon-supported iron carbide nanoparticles are attractive catalysts for this reaction.The catalytic activity can be improved and undesired formation of alkanes can be suppressed by the addition of sodium and sulfur as promoters but the influence of their content and ratio remains poorly understood and the promoted catalysts often suffer from rapid deactivation due to particle growth. A series of carbon black-supported iron catalysts with similar iron content and nominal sodium/sulfur loadings of 1–30/0.5–5 wt% with respect to iron are prepared and characterized under FTO conditions at 1and 10 bar syngas pressure to illuminate the influence of the promoter level on the catalytic properties.Iron particles and promoters undergo significant reorganization during FTO operation under industrially relevant conditions. Low sodium content（1–3 wt%） leads to a delay in iron carbide formation. Sodium contents of 15–30 wt% lead to rapid loss of catalytic activity due to the covering of the iron surface with promoters during particle growth under FTO operation. Higher activity and slower loss of activity are observed at low promoter contents（1–3 wt% sodium and 0.5–1 wt% sulfur） but a minimum amount of alkali is required to effectively suppress methane and C–Cparaffin formation. A reference catalyst support（carbide-derived carbon aerogel） shows that the optimum promoter level depends on iron particle size and support pore structure.

Kinetics of the water-gas shift reaction in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over a nano-structured iron catalyst

Based on formate and direct oxidation mechanisms,three Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson （LHHW） kinetic models of the water-gasshift （WGS） reaction over a nano-structured iron catalyst under Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS） reaction conditions were derived and compared with those over the conventional catalyst.The conventional and nanostructured Fe/Cu/La/Si catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation of Fe and Cu nitrates in aqueous media and water-oil micro-emulsion,respectively.The WGS kinetic data were measured by experiments over a wide range of reaction conditions and comparisons were also made for various rate equations.WGS rate expressions based on the formate mechanism with the assumption that the formation of formate is rate determining step were found to be the best.

Effects of Reaction Conditions on Performance of Ru Catalyst and Iron Catalyst for Ammonia Synthesis

Activated carbon-supported Ru-based catalyst and A301 iron catalyst were prepared,and the influences of reaction temperature,space velocity,pressure,and H2/N2 ratio on performance of iron catalyst coupled with Ru catalyst in series for ammonia synthesis were investigated.The activity tests were also performed on the single Ru and Fe catalysts as comparison.Results showed that the activity of the Ru catalyst for ammonia synthesis was higher than that of the iron catalyst by 33.5%-37.6% under the reaction conditions：375-400 °C,10 MPa,10000 h-1,H2︰N2 3,and the Ru catalyst also had better thermal stability when treated at 475 °C for 20 h.The outlet ammonia concentration using Fe-Ru catalyst was increased by 45.6%-63.5% than that of the single-iron catalyst at low tem-perature （375-400 °C）,and the outlet ammonia concentration increased with increasing Ru catalyst loading.

Aerobic oxidative coupling of alcohols and amines to imines over iron catalysts supported on mesoporous carbon

Direct oxidative coupling of an alcohol and amine,with air or molecular oxygen as the oxygen source,is an environmentally friendly method for imine synthesis.We developed an Fe catalyst supported on mesoporous carbon（denoted by FeOx/HCMK-3） for this reaction with excellent activity and recyclability.FeOx/HCMK-3 was prepared by impregnating HNO3-treated mesoporous carbon（CMK-3） with iron nitrate solution.The highly dispersed FeOx species give FeOx/HCMK-3 high reducibility and are responsible for the high catalytic performance.Imine synthesis over FeOx/HCMK-3 follows a redox mechanism.The oxygen species in FeOx/HCMK-3 participate in the reaction and are then regenerated by oxidation with molecular O2.The reaction involves two consecutive steps：oxidative dehydrogenation of an alcohol to an aldehyde and coupling of the aldehyde with an amine to give an imine.Oxidative dehydrogenation of the alcohol is the rate-determining step in the reaction.

Study on the Precursor Phase Composition of Fused Iron Catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

The effect of the precursor composition of fused iron catalyst on the performance of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was investigated. XRD, BET and CO2 adsorption experiments were carried out to provide better insight into the relationship therein. The results showed that the selectivity of C5＋ hydrocarbon products was dependent on the mole ratio of Fe^2＋/Fe^3＋, which was represented by a hump-shaped curve. Catalysts with precursors containing Fe3O4 phase favored the magnetite spinal formation during F-T reaction, while Fe（1-x）O-based catalysts were more likely to favor the formation and growth of the iron carbide crystals.

Water-assisted highly enhanced crystallographic etching of graphene by iron catalysts

We report the assisted role of water vapor in crystallographic cutting of graphene via iron catalysts in reduced atmosphere. Without water, graphene can be tailored with smooth trenches composed of straight lines with angles of 60℃ or 120℃ between two adjacent trenches. After the addition of water, new chacteristics are found： such as almost no iron particles can be detected along the trenches; each trench becomes longer and lots of graphene nanoribbons can be generated. The underlying mechanism is proposed and discussed, which is attributed to stimulating and lengthening of the catalytic activity of iron particles by water vapor.

Characterizations of Skeletal Iron Catalysts Prepared from Rapidly and Naturally Quenched Fe-Al Alloys

Surface morphology, physical-chemical properties of skeletal iron catalysts prepared by leaching of the rapidly quenched(RQ) and naturally quenched(NQ) Fe-Al alloys with an aqueous solution of NaOH were characterized by using a series of techniques including XRD, BET, XPS, SEM, H_2 and CO-TPD. It was found that the RQ skeletal iron catalyst exhibits a smaller particle size, larger specific surface area and pore volume than the NQ one. The H_2 and CO-TPD experiments showed that the RQ skeletal iron exhibits stronger affinity for H_2 and milder affinity for CO compared with the NQ one. But the NQ skeletal catalyst shows a better thermal stability than the RQ catalyst.

RAMAN SPECTRA OF HYDROGEN ADSPECIES ON AMMONIA SYNTHESIS IRON CATALYST

Raman peaks at 1951 and 2165 cm^(-1) can be confirmed further by H_2/D_2 isotope exchange as H-adspecies on the doubly promoted iron catalyst for ammonia synthesis and are probably ascribed to two terminally adsorbed H-species.

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis by nano-structured iron catalyst

Effects of nanoscale iron oxide particles on textural structure,reduction,carburization and catalytic behavior of precipitated iron catalyst in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis（FTS） are investigated.Nanostructured iron catalysts were prepared by microemulsion method in two series.Firstly,Fe2O3 ,CuO and La2O3 nanoparticles were prepared separately and were mixed to attain Fe/Cu/La nanostructured catalyst（sep-nano catalyst）;Secondly nanostructured catalyst was prepared by co-precipitation in a water-in-oil microemulsion method（mix-nano catalyst）.Also,conventional iron catalyst was prepared with common co-precipitation method.Structural characterizations of the catalysts were performed by TEM,XRD,H2 and CO-TPR tests.Particle size of iron oxides for sep-nano and mix-nano catalysts,which were determined by XRD pattern（Scherrer equation） and TEM images was about 20 and 21.6 nm,respectively.Catalyst evaluation was conducted in a fixed-bed stainless steel reactor and compared with conventional iron catalyst.The results revealed that FTS reaction increased while WGS reaction and olefin/paraffin ratio decreased in nanostructured iron catalysts.

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis over iron catalysts with corncob-derived promoters

A sustainable strategy for Fischer–Tropsch iron catalysts is successfully achieved by embedding of synergistic promoters from a renewable resource, corncob. The iron-based catalysts, named as 'corncob-driven'catalysts, are composed of iron species supported on carbon as primary active components and various minerals(K, Mg, Ca, and Si, etc.) as promoters. The corncob-driven catalysts are facilely synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal treatment under mild conditions. The characterization results indicate that the formation of iron carbides from humboldtine is clearly enhanced and the morphology of catalyst particles tends to be more regular microspheres after adding corncob. It is observed that the optimized corncob-driven catalyst exhibits a higher conversion than without promoters' catalyst in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis(ca. 73% vs. ca. 49%). More importantly, a synergistic effect exists in multiple promoters from corncob that can enhance heavy hydrocarbons selectivity and lower CO_2 selectivity, obviously different from the catalyst with promoters from chemicals. The proposed synthesis route of corncob-driven catalysts provides new strategies for the utilization of renewable resources and elimination of environmental pollutants from chemical promoters.

Kinetics studies of nano-structured iron catalyst in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Kinetic parameters of nano-structured iron catalyst in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS） were studied in a wide range of synthesis gas conversions and compared with conventional catalyst.The conventional Fe/Cu/La catalyst was prepared by co-precipitation of Fe and Cu nitrates in aqueous media and Fe/Cu/La nanostructure catalyst was prepared by co-precipitation in a water-in-oil micro-emulsion.Nano-structured iron catalyst shows higher FTS activity.Kinetic results indicated that in FTS rate expression,the rate constant （k） increased and adsorption parameter （b） decreased by decreasing the catalyst particle size from conventional to nano-structured.Since increasing in the rate constant and decreasing in the adsorption parameter affected the FTS rate in parallel direction,the particle size of catalyst showed complicated effects on kinetic parameters of FTS reaction.

A new kinetic model for direct CO2 hydrogenation to higher hydrocarbons on a precipitated iron catalyst:Effect of catalyst particle size

The kinetic of the direct COhydrogenation to higher hydrocarbons via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis（FTS）and reverse water-gas shift reaction（RWGS） mechanisms over a series of precipitated Fe/Cu/K catalysts with various particle sizes was studied in a well mixed, continuous spinning basket reactor. The iron catalysts promoted with copper and potassium were prepared via precipitation technique in various alcohol/water mixtures to achieve a series of catalyst particle sizes between 38 and 14 nm. A new kinetic model for direct COhydrogenation was developed with combination of kinetic model for FTS reaction and RWGS equilibrium condition. For estimate of structure sensitivity of indirect COhydrogenation to higher hydrocarbons, the kinetic parameters of developed model are evaluated for a series of iron catalysts with various particle sizes. For kinetic study a wide range of syngas conversions have been obtained by varying experimental conditions. The results show that the new developed model fits favorably with experimental data. The values of activation energies for indirect COhydrogenation reaction are fall within the narrow range of 23–16 kJ/mol.

Deactivation studies of nano-structured iron catalyst in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

A nano-structured iron catalyst for syngas conversion to hydrocarbons in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis（FTS） was prepared by micro-emulsion method.Compositions of bulk iron phase and phase transformations of carbonaceous species during catalyst deactivation in FTS reaction were characterized by temperature-programmed surface reaction with hydrogen（TPSR-H 2 ）,and XRD techniques.Many carbonaceous species on surface and bulk of the nano-structured iron catalysts were completely identified by combined TPSR-H 2 and XRD spectra and which were compared with those recorded on conventional co-precipitated iron catalyst.The results reveal that the catalyst deactivation results from the formation of inactive carbide phases and surface carbonaceous species like graphite,and it will be increased when the particle size of iron oxides was reduced in FTS iron catalyst.

Effect of operating conditions and potassium content on Fischer-Tropsch liquid products produced by potassium-promoted iron catalysts

The dependencies of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis liquid hydrocarbon product distribution on operating pressure and temperature have been studied over three potassium-promoted iron catalysts with increasing potassium molar content. The study followed an experimental planning and the results were analyzed based on surface response methodology. The effects of different operating conditions and potassium contents on the liquid product distribution were compared based on number average carbon number and dispersion. Results showed that high pressures （25 to 30 arm） favored the production of waxes that could be converted into liquid fuels through hydrocracking, while greater direct selectivity towards diesel was favored by low pressure （20 arm） using catalysts with low potassium to iron molar ratios. The liquid product distribution produced using an iron catalyst with high potassium content presented higher number-average number of carbons when compared to the distribution obtained using an iron catalyst with low potassium content.

Controlled Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Catalyzed by Hybrid Supported Iron Catalyst

A supported iron catalyst, which was prepared by anchoring FeCl2/FeCl3 on the cross-linking macroporous polyacrylate ion exchange resin, was evaluated via the controlled radical polymerization. When a small amount of CuCl2/ Me6TREN was added, the controllability of the polymerization over the iron-mediated catalyst was significantly improved（Mw/Mn = 1.23-1.73 ）, affording a polymer with a low residual metal via a simple catalyst separation procedure. After suitable regeneration, the supported iron catalyst could also he recycled. UV-Vis analysis showed that the additional copper catalyst could facilitate the radical deactivation process.

An Introductive Study about CO₂Hydrogenation into Hydrocarbons Using Iron Catalysts

CO2 hydrogenation reaction was performed on precipitated iron catalysts which were promoted by Si, Zn, K and Cu. The optimum SiO2 content in the catalysts is about 15 wt% relative to Fe2O3 mass. With reaction temperature raised, CO2 conversion is increased continually, but CO and CH4 selectivity only fluctuate in a narrow range which is beneficial to the synthesis of C2+ hydrocarbons. Two kinds of catalyst filling constitution were experimentally compared in order to increase the yield of C5+ hydrocarbons.

Preparation of Nano-Sized γ-Al_2O_3 Supported Iron Catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis by Solvated Metal Atom Impregnation Methods

Two types of small iron clusters supported on γ-Al2O3-RT（dehydroxylated at room temperature） and γ-Al2O3-800 （dehydroxylated at 800 ℃） were prepared by solvated metal atom impregnation （SMAI） techniques. The iron atom precursor complex, bis（toluene）iron（0） formed in the metal atom reactor, was impregnated into γ-Al2O3 having different concentrations of surface hydroxyl groups to study the effect of surface hydroxylation on the crucial stage of iron cluster formation. Catalysts prepared in this way were characterized by TEM, Mǒssbauer, and chemisorption measurements, and the results show that higher concentration of surface hydroxyl groups of γ-Al2O3-RT favors the formation of more positively charged supported iron cluster Fen/γ-Al2O3-RT, and the lower concentration of surface hydroxyl groups of γ-Al2O3-800 favors the formation of basically neutral supported iron cluster Fen/γ-Al2O3-800. The measured results also indicate that the higher concentration of surface hydroxyl groups causes the rapid decomposition of precursor complex, bis（toluene）iron（0）, and favors the formation of relatively large iron cluster. Consequently, these two types of catalysts show different catalytic properties in Fischer-Tropsch reaction. The catalytic pattern of Fen/γ-Al2O3-RT in F-T reaction is similar to that of the unreduced γ-Fe2O3 and that of Fen/γ-Al2O3-800 is similar to that of the reduced α-Fe2O3.