ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: evaluation of Gd and Ru promoters effect on Co/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst at different conditions

Farzad Bahadoran, Amin Moradian, Laleh Shirazi, and Yahya Zamani

Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Tehran, Iran

E-mail: f.bahadoran@gmail.com

Abstract: In this study, the effect of Ru and Gd promoters on 15Co/(gamma)-Al₂O₃ catalyst in the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis is investigated. The catalysts were synthesized by dry impregnation method and characterized by XRD, adsorption/desorption of nitrogen, TPR, TEM, ICP and XPS analyses. Activity and selectivity of the catalysts were examined in a fixed bed reactor at 210–230 °C with a H₂/CO ratio of 2 and atmospheric pressure. The results showed that the Ru-promoted catalyst has the highest activity and methane selectivity which reduce the chain growth probability. The Gd-promoted catalyst was shown smaller particle size and higher dispersion of cobalt particles in compared with unpromoted catalyst. The smaller particles have more interaction and thus show the lower catalyst reducibility. The presence of Gd in the catalyst cause higher chain growth probability compared to the unpromoted one. The Ru–Gd-promoted catalysts were shown a synergic effect in the catalyst reducibility. Based on the screening of the catalysts in the atmospheric pressure; the unpromoted, 0.1Ru/15Co/Al₂O₃, and 0.1Ru1Gd/15Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts were selected to test at high pressure conditions, which the 0.1Ru1Gd/15Co catalyst showed the highest C₅ ⁺ selectivity (75%) compared with the 0.1Ru/15Co/Al₂O₃ and the unpromoted one.

Keywords: Fischer–Tropsch synthesis ; Cobalt catalyst ; Ru, Gd promoters ; Synergic effect ; Screening 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-017-0281-x

Chemical Papers 72 (2) 309–325 (2018)