Fabrication of K-promoted iron/carbon nanotubes composite catalysts for the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis of lower olefins

K-promoted iron/carbon nanotubes composite（i.e., Fe K-OX） was prepared by a redox reaction between carbon nanotubes and K2FeO4followed by thermal treatments on a purpose as the Fischer–Tropsch catalyst for the direct conversion of syngas to lower olefins. Its catalytic behaviors were compared with those of the other two Fe-IM and Fe K-IM catalysts prepared by impregnation method followed by thermal treatments. The novel Fe K-OX composite catalyst is found to exhibit higher hydrocarbon selectivity,lower olefins selectivity and chain growth probability as well as better stability. The catalyst structureperformance relationship has been established using multiple techniques including XRD, Raman, TEM and EDS elemental mapping. In addition, effects of additional potassium into the Fe K-OX composite catalyst on the FTO performance were also investigated and discussed. Additional potassium promoters further endow the catalysts with higher yield of lower olefins. These results demonstrated that the introduction method of promoters and iron species plays a crucial role in the design and fabrication of highly active,selective and stable iron-based composite catalysts for the FTO reaction.

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.

Promotion Effects of Ceria on Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis Performance of Co/Al_2O_3 Catalyst

The addition of small amounts of ceria to Co/Al2O3 catalysts increases the turnover rate of the catalyst and C5+ selectivity in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. In this work, the amounts of ceria, the calcination temperature, the temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), the temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO), and XRD are investigated. The results show that the addition of small amounts of ceria to Co/Al2O3 catalyst (Ce/Co≈1∶ 10 ～1∶ 7, atom) can increase the CO conversion and liquid yield, while the calcination temperature can control both the chain growth probability and CO conversion in a reverse trend. The TPR and TPO experiments show that small amounts of Ceria can improve the reducibility, but the amounts of carbon deposit increase, and two-type carbon deposition is found in the short-term reaction catalyst.

Recent advances in understanding the key catalyst factors for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Catalytic conversion of synthesis gas （CO＋H2） into hydrocarbons, also known as Fischer-Tropsch （FT） synthesis, is a crucial reaction for the translbrmation of non-petroleum carbon resources such as coal, natural gas, shale gas, coal-bed gas and biogas, as well as biomass into liquid fuels and chemicals. Many factors can influence the catalytic behavior of a FT catalyst. This review highlights recent advances in understanding some key catalyst factors, including the chemical state of active phases, the promoters, the size and the microenvironment of active phase, which determine the CO conversion activity and the product selectivity, particularly the selectivity to C5 ＋ hydrocarbons.

Effects of cobalt carbide on Fischer–Tropsch synthesis with MnO supported Co-based catalysts

Cobalt carbide(Co2C)was considered as potential catalysts available for large-scale industrialization of transforming syngas(H2 and CO)to clean fuels.Herein,we successfully synthesized Co-based catalysts with MnO supported,to comprehend the effects of Co2C for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis(FTS)under ambient conditions.The huge variety of product selectivity which was contained by different active sites(Co and Co2C)has been found.Furthermore,density functional theory(DFT)shows that Co2C is efficacious of CO adsorption,whereas is weaker for H adsorption than Co.Combining the advantages of Co and Co2C,the catalyst herein can not only obtain more C5+products but also suppress methane selectivity.It can be a commendable guide for the design of industrial application products in FTS.

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.

Iron-based catalysts encapsulated by nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon for selective synthesis of liquid fuels through the Fischer-Tropsch process

Fischer‐Tropsch synthesis(FTS)has the potential to be a powerful strategy for producing liquid fuels from syngas if highly selective catalysts can be developed.Herein,a series of iron nanoparticle catalysts encapsulated by nitrogen‐doped graphitic carbon were prepared by a one‐step pyrolysis of a ferric L‐glutamic acid complex.The FeC‐800 catalyst pyrolyzed at 800°C showed excellent catalytic activity(239.4μmolCO gFe–1 s–1),high C5–C11 selectivity(49%),and good stability in FTS.The high dispersion of ferric species combined with a well‐encapsulated structure can effectively inhibit the migration of iron nanoparticles during the reaction process,which is beneficial for high activity and good stability.The nitrogen‐doped graphitic carbon shell can act as an electron donor to the iron particles,thus promoting CO activation and expediting the formation of Fe5C2,which is the key factor for obtaining high C5–C11 selectivity.

Study of Manganese Promoter on a Precipitated Iron-Based Catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

The effects of Manganese （Mn） incorporation on a precipitated iron-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS） catalyst were investigated using N2 physical adsorption, air differential thermal analysis （DTA）, H2 temperature-programmed reduction （TPR）, and Mǒssbauer spectroscopy. The FTS performances of the catalysts were tested in a slurry phase reactor. The characterization results indicated that Mn increased the surface area of the catalyst, and improved the dispersion of （α-Fe2O3 and reduced its crystallite size as a result of the high dispersion effect of Mn and the Fe-Mn interaction. The Fe-Mn interaction also suppressed the reduction of （α-Fe2O3 to Fe3O4, stabilized the FeO phase, and （or） decreased the carburization degree of the catalysts in the H2 and syngas reduction processes. In addition, incorporated Mn decreased the initial catalyst activity, but improved the catalyst stability because Mn restrained the reoxidation of iron carbides to Fe3O4, and improved further carburization of the catalysts. Manganese suppressed the formation of CH4 and increased the selectivity to light olefins （C2-4^=）, but it had little effect on the selectivities to heavy （C5＋） hydrocarbons. All these results indicated that the strong Fe-Mn interaction suppressed the chemisorptive effect of the Mn as an electronic promoter, to some extent, in the precipitated iron-manganese catalyst system.

Effect of barium on reducibility and activity for cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalysts

Barium modified Co/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation.The catalysts were characterized by XRD,TPD and DRIFTS.The catalytic activity for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was measured in a continuously stirred tank reactor.It was found that small amounts of BaO（≤2 wt%） improved the cobalt reducibility,which led to more cobalt active sites on the catalyst surface,and then resulted in higher CO conversion and C5＋ selectivity.However,for the catalysts with high BaO loadings negative effects on the catalytic activity and selectivity for high hydrocarbons were observed because of low cobalt reducibility.

Effects of preparation and operation conditions on precipitated iron nickel catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Iron nickel oxide catalysts were prepared using co-precipitation procedure and studied for the conversion of synthesis gas to light olefins.In particular,the effects of a range of preparation variables such as Fe/Ni molar ratios of the precipitation solution,precipitate aging times,calcination conditions,different supports and loading of optimum support on the structure of catalysts and their catalytic performance for the tested reaction were investigated.It was found that the catalyst containing 40%Fe/60%Ni/40wt%Al 2O3 ,which was aged for 180 min and calcined at 600 ℃ for 6 h was the optimum modified catalyst.The catalytic performance of optimal catalyst has been studied in different operation conditions such as reaction temperatures,H2 /CO molar feed ratios and reaction total pressure.Characterization of both precursors and calcined catalysts was carried out by powder X-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,Brunauer-Emmett-Teller（BET） surface area measurements,thermal analysis methods such as thermal gravimetric analysis（TGA） and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）.

Effect of reaction conditions and kinetic study on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over fused Co-Ni /Al_2O_3 catalyst

Co-Ni/Al2O3catalyst was prepared by the fusion method and used in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis(FTS).The catalysts were characterized by means of nitrogen sorption and scanning electron microscopy.The effect of some reaction conditions such as temperature,pressure and H2/CO feed ratio on the catalytic performance of Co-Ni/Al2O3in CO hydrogenation was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor.The results indicate that the optimum reaction conditions are 250℃,0.3 MPa,H2/CO feed ratio of 2.0,and GHSV of 3 000 h-1.Kinetically,the reaction rate was correlated with the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson type models.The activation energy for the best fitted model is 88.41 kJ/mol,suggesting that the intra-particle mass transport is not significant.

Study on iron-manganese catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

铁锰催化剂被一起沉淀方法准备。催化剂的描述被使用 X 光衍射(XRD ) 执行，扫描电子显微镜学(SEM ) ，温度程序减小(TPR ) ， N2 吸附解吸附作用大小。从 Fischer-Tropsch 合成的催化表演测试的结果证明铁锰催化剂对催化剂作文和材料来源敏感过度。当 CH4 和 CO2 由使用从铁(II ) 准备的铁锰催化剂减少了时， C24 轻石蜡增加了，这被发现当 CH4 和 CO2 由使用从铁(II ) 准备的铁锰催化剂减少了时硫酸盐(催化剂) 。催化剂的活动和选择处于不同运作的条件被学习。结果证明为 C24 轻石蜡生产的最好的运作的条件在 260 点是 H2/CO=1/1 (GHSV=2400 h1 )

Effects of K and Mn promoters over Fe2O3 on Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Structural and compositional design of core-shell structure is an effective strategy towards enhanced catalysis.Herein,amorphous MnO2 nanosheets and K+-intercalated layered MnO2 nanosheets are controllably assembled over Fe2O3 spindles,in which the MnO2 nanosheets are perpendicularly anchored to the surface of Fe2O3.Such a core shell structure contributes to a high specific surface area and abundant pore channels on the surface of catalysts.In addition,the existence of K+provides large numbers of basic sites and restrains the formation of unpleasant(Fe1-xMnx)3O4.Benefiting from the merits in structure and composition,CO adsorption is enhanced and remaining time of intermediates is prolonged on the surfaces of catalysts during the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis(FTS),facilitating to the formation of active iron carbides and C–C coupling reactions.Resultantly,the Fe2O3@K+-Mn O2 shows both a high CO conversion of 82.3%and a high C5+ selectivity of 73.1%.The present study provides structural and compositional rationales on design high-performance catalysts towards FTS.

Effect of Al_2O_3 Binder on the Precipitated Iron-Based Catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

A series of iron-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS） catalysts incorporated with Al2O3 binder were prepared by the combination of co-precipitation and spray drying technology. The catalyst samples were characterized by using N2 physical adsorption, temperature-programmed reduction/desorption （TPR/TPD） and MSssbauer effect spectroscopy （MES） methods. The characterization results indicated that the BET surface area increases with increasing Al2O3 content and passes through a maximum at the Al2O3/Fe ratio of 10/100 （weight basis）. After the point, it decreases with further increase in Al2O3 content. The incorporation of Al2O3 binder was found to weaken the surface basicity and suppress the reduction and carburization of iron-based catalysts probably due to the strong K-Al2O3 and Fe-Al2O3 interactions. Furthermore, the H2 adsorption ability of the catalysts is enhanced with increasing Al2O3 content. The FTS performances of the catalysts were tested in a slurry-phase continuously stirred tank reactor （CSTR） under the reaction conditions of 260 ℃, 1.5 MPa, 1000 h^-1 and molar ratio of H2/CO 0.67 for 200 h. The results showed that the addition of small amounts of Al2O3 affects the activity of iron-based catalysts to a little extent. However, with further increase of Al2O3 content, the FTS activity and water gas shift reaction （WGS） activity are decreased severely. The addition of appropriate Al2O3 do not affect the product selectivity, but the catalysts incorporated with large amounts of Al2O3 have higher selectivity for light hydrocarbons and lower selectivity for heavy hydrocarbons.

Comparing the deactivation behaviour of Co/CNT and Co/γ-Al_2O_3 nano catalysts in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

An extensive study of Fischer-Tropsch （FT） synthesis on cobalt nano particles supported on γ-alumina and carbon nanotubes （CNTs） catalysts is reported.20 wt% of cobalt is loaded on the supports by impregnation method.The deactivation of the two catalysts was studied at 220 C,2 MPa and 2.7 L/h feed flow rate using a fixed bed micro-reactor.The calcined fresh and used catalysts were characterized extensively and different sources of catalyst deactivation were identified.Formation of cobalt-support mixed oxides in the form of xCoO yAl2O3 and cobalt aluminates formation were the main sources of the Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst deactivation.However sintering and cluster growth of cobalt nano particles are the main sources of the Co/CNTs catalyst deactivation.In the case of the Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst,after 720 h on stream of continuous FT synthesis the average cobalt nano particles diameter increased from 15.9 to 18.4 nm,whereas,under the same reaction conditions the average cobalt nano particles diameter of the Co/CNTs increased from 11.2 to 17.8 nm.Although,the initial FT activity of the Co/CNTs was 26% higher than that of the Co/γ-Al2O3,the FT activity over the Co/CNTs after 720 h on stream decreased by 49% and that over the Co/γ-Al2O3 by 32%.For the Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst 6.7% of total activity loss and for the Co/CNTs catalyst 11.6% of total activity loss cannot be recovered after regeneration of the catalyst at the same conditions of the first regeneration step.It is concluded that using CNTs as cobalt catalyst support is beneficial in carbon utilization as compared to γ-Al2O3 support,but the Co/CNTs catalyst is more susceptible for deactivation.

Ru particle size effect in Ru/CNT-catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Carbon nanotube （CNT）-supported Ru nanoparticles with mean sizes ranging from 2.3 to 9.2 nm were prepared by different post-treatments and studied for Fischer-Tropsch （FT） synthesis. The effects of Ru particle size on catalytic behaviors were investigated at both shorter and longer contact times. At shorter contact time, where the secondary reactions were insignificant, the turnover frequency （TOF） for CO conversion was dependent on the mean size of Ru particles; TOF increased with the mean size of Ru particles from 2.3 to 6.3 nm and then decreased slightly. At the same time, the selectivities to C5＋ hydrocarbons increased gradually with the mean size of Ru particles up to 6.3 nm and then kept almost unchanged with a further increase in Ru particle size. At longer contact time, C10-C20 selectivity increased significantly at the expense of C21＋ selectivity, suggesting the occurrence of the selective hydrocracking of C21＋ to C10-C20 hydrocarbons.

Effect of Manganese Incorporation Manner on an Iron-Based Catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

A systematic study was undertaken to investigate the effects of the manganese incorporation manner on the textural properties, bulk and surface phase compositions, reduction/carburization behaviors, and surface basicity of an iron-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS） catalyst. The catalyst samples were characterized by N2 physisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, H2 （or CO） temperature-programmed reduction （TPR）, CO2 temperature-programmed desorption （TPD）, and M5ssbauer spectroscopy. The FTS performance of the catalysts was studied in a slurry-phase continuously stirred tank reactor （CSTR）. The characterization results indicated that the manganese promoter incorporated by using the coprecipitation method could improve the dispersion of iron oxide, and decrease the size of the iron oxide crystallite. The manganese incorporated with the impregnation method is enriched on the catalyst＇s surface. The manganese promoter added with the impregnation method suppresses the reduction and carburization of the catalyst in H2, CO, and syngas because of the excessive enrichment of manganese on the catalyst surface. The catalyst added manganese using the coprecipitation method has the highest CO conversion （51.9%） and the lowest selectivity for heavy hydrocarbons （C12＋）.

Kinetics and product distribution studies on ruthenium-promoted cobalt/alumina Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalyst

Hydrocarbon production rates and distributions on ruthenium promoted alumina supported cobalt Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS） catalyst were studied by the concept of two superimposed Anderson-Schulz-Flory （ASF） distributions.The results indicated that the characterizing growth probabilities α1 and α2 were strongly dependent on reaction conditions.By increasing the H2 /CO partial pressure ratios and reaction temperatures,deviation from normal ASF distribution decreases and the double-α-ASF distribution changes into a straight line.Based on the concept of double-α-ASF distribution,a useful rate equation for the production of hydrocarbons under industrial reaction conditions is obtained.

Effects of promoters on catalytic performance of Fe-Co/SiO_2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

2%Fe-10%Co/SiO2 catalysts with different potassium or zirconium loadings were prepared by aqueous incipient wetness impregnation and tested for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in a flow reactor, using H2/CO = 1.6 （molar ratio） in the feed, under the condition of an overall pressure of 1 MPa, GHSV of 600 h^-1 and temperature of 503 K. The zirconium and potassium promoters remarkably influenced hydrocarbon distribution of the products. CO conversion increased on the catalysts with the increase of zirconium loadings, which indicated that zirconium enhanced the activity of iron-cobalt catalysts. Low potassium loadings also enhanced the activity of the catalysts. However, high potassium loading made CO conversion on the catalysts decrease and weakened the secondary hydrogenations. The catalyst was characterized by BET, XRD and TPR. The catalyst characterization revealed that the Co3O4 phase was presented on the fresh catalyst, whereas the spinel phase of Fe-Co alloy and CoO existed on the used catalyst.

Effects of the Different Supports on the Activity and Selectivity of Iron-Cobalt Bimetallic Catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

Silica, alumina, and activated carbon supported iron-cobalt catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation. These catalysts have been characterized by BET, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and temperature-programmed reduction （TPR）. Activity and selectivity of iron-cobalt supported on different carriers for CO hydrogenation were studied under the conditions of 1.5 MPa, 493 K, 630 h^-1, and H2/CO ratio of 1.6. The results indicate that the activity, C4 olefin/（C4 olefin＋C4 paraffin） ratio, and C5 olefin/（C5 olefin＋C5 paraffin） decrease in the order of Fe-Co/SiO2, Fe-Co/AC1, Fe-Co/Al2O3 and Fe- Co/AC2. The activity of Fe-Co/SiO2 reached a maximum. The results of TPR show that the Fe-Co/SiO2 catalyst is to some extent different. XRD patterns show that the Fe-Co/SiO2 catalyst differs significantly from the others; it has two diffraction peaks. The active spinel phase is correlated with the supports.