Tandem catalytic synthesis of light isoparaffin from syngas via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis by newly developed core–shell-like zeolite capsule catalysts

Recent advances in bifunctional synthesis gas conversion to chemicals and fuels with a comparison to monofunctional processes

In order to meet the climate goals of the Paris Agreement and limit the potentially catastrophic consequences of climate change, we must move away from the use of fossil feedstocks for the production of chemicals and fuels. The conversion of synthesis gas (a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide) can contribute to this. Several reactions allow to convert synthesis gas to oxygenates (such as methanol), olefins or waxes. In a consecutive step, these products can be further converted into chemicals, such as dimethyl ether, short olefins, or aromatics. Alternatively, fuels like gasoline, diesel, or kerosene can be produced. These two different steps can be combined using bifunctional catalysis for direct conversion of synthesis gas to chemicals and fuels. The synergistic effects of combining two different catalysts are discussed in terms of activity and selectivity and compared to processes based on consecutive reaction with single conversion steps. We found that bifunctional catalysis can be a strong tool for the highly selective production of dimethyl ether and gasoline with high octane numbers. In terms of selectivity bifunctional catalysis for short olefins or aromatics struggles to compete with processes consisting of single catalytic conversion steps.

Effective reduction of nitric oxide over a core-shell Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR zeolite catalyst

In this study, a core-shell catalyst of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR was successfully prepared through a silica-sol adhesion method, and its performance for selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) was evaluated in detail. The Fe-MOR coating has not only increased the high-temperature activity and broadened the reaction temperature window of Cu-SAPO-34 to a large extent, but also increased the hydrothermal stability of Cu-SAPO-34 markedly. It is demonstrated that a strong synergistic interaction effect exists between Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions and promotes the redox cycle and oxidation-reduction ability of copper ions, which greatly accelerates the catalytic performance of the core-shell Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR catalyst. Abundant isolated Cu²⁺ ions and Fe³⁺ ions on the ion exchange sites performing NO _x reduction at low and high temperature region lead to the broad reaction temperature window of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR. In addition, more weakly adsorbed NO _x species formed and the increased number of Lewis acid sites may also contribute to the higher catalytic performance of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR. On the other hand, the better hydrothermal ageing stability of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR is related to its lighter structural collapse, fewer acidic sites lost, more active components (Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺) maintained, and more monodentate nitrate species formed in the core-shell catalyst after hydrothermal ageing. Last, the mechanism study has found that both Langmuir-Hinshelwood ("L-H") and Eley-Rideal ("E-R") mechanisms play an essential role in the catalytic process of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR, and constitute another reason for its higher activity compared with that of Cu-SAPO-34 (only "L-H" mechanism).

Recent Application of Core-Shell Nanostructured Catalysts for CO2 Thermocatalytic Conversion Processes

Carbon-intensive industries must deem carbon capture, utilization, and storage initiatives to mitigate rising CO2 concentration by 2050. A 45% national reduction in CO2 emissions has been projected by government to realize net zero carbon in 2030. CO2 utilization is the prominent solution to curb not only CO2 but other greenhouse gases, such as methane, on a large scale. For decades, thermocatalytic CO2 conversions into clean fuels and specialty chemicals through catalytic CO2 hydrogenation and CO2 reforming using green hydrogen and pure methane sources have been under scrutiny. However, these processes are still immature for industrial applications because of their thermodynamic and kinetic limitations caused by rapid catalyst deactivation due to fouling, sintering, and poisoning under harsh conditions. Therefore, a key research focus on thermocatalytic CO2 conversion is to develop high-performance and selective catalysts even at low temperatures while suppressing side reactions. Conventional catalysts suffer from a lack of precise structural control, which is detrimental toward selectivity, activity, and stability. Core-shell is a recently emerged nanomaterial that offers confinement effect to preserve multiple functionalities from sintering in CO2 conversions. Substantial progress has been achieved to implement core-shell in direct or indirect thermocatalytic CO2 reactions, such as methanation, methanol synthesis, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and dry reforming methane. However, cost-effective and simple synthesis methods and feasible mechanisms on core-shell catalysts remain to be developed. This review provides insights into recent works on core-shell catalysts for thermocatalytic CO2 conversion into syngas and fuels.

Natural aluminosilicate nanotubes loaded with RuCo as nanoreactors for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Following nanoarchitectural approach, mesoporous halloysite nanotubes with internal surface composed of alumina were loaded with 5-6 nm RuCo nanoparticles by sequential loading/reduction procedure. Ruthenium nanoclusters were loaded inside clay tube by microwave-assisted method followed by cobalt ions electrostatic attraction to ruthenium during wetness impregnation step. Developed nanoreactors with bimetallic RuCo nanoparticles were investigated as catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch process. The catalyst with 14.3 wt.% of Co and 0.15 wt.% of Ru showed high activity (СO conversion reached 24.6%), low selectivity to methane (11.9%), CO₂ (0.3%), selectivity to C₅₊ hydrocarbons of 79.1% and chain growth index (α) = 0.853. Proposed nanoreactors showed better selectivity to target products combined with high activity in comparison to the similar bimetallic systems supported on synthetic porous materials. It was shown that reducing agent (NaBH₄ or H₂) used to obtain Ru nanoclusters at first synthesis step played a very important role in the reducibility and selectivity of resulting RuCo catalysts.

Effect of two-component amorphous silica-alumina (ASA) with different Si/Al molar ratios on hydrocracking reactions for increasing naphtha over NiW/USY-ASA

The combination of ASA-0.4 and ASA-2 produces new acidic OH groups by increasing the contact points between silicon and aluminum. These OH groups improve the density of acid sites and increases the area of the active adsorption area of the support.

Oxide-Zeolite-Based Composite Catalyst Concept That Enables Syngas Chemistry beyond Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

Syngas chemistry has been under study since Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) was invented in the 1920s. Despite the successful applications of FTS as the core technology of coal-to-liquid and gas-to-liquid processes in industry, the product selectivity control of syngas conversion still remains a great challenge, particularly for value-added chemicals such as light olefins. Recent studies show that the catalyst design concept of OXZEO (oxide-zeolite-based composite) enables direct syngas conversion to mixed light olefins with a selectivity reaching 80% and to ethylene with a selectivity of 83% among hydrocarbons. They both well-surpass the limits predicated by the Anderson-Schultz-Flory model via the conventional FTS route (58% and 30%, respectively). Furthermore, this catalyst concept allows one-step synthesis of gasoline-range isoparaffins and aromatic compounds, which is otherwise not possible in conventional FTS. A rapidly growing number of studies demonstrate the versatility of this concept and may form a technology platform for utilization of carbon resources including coal, natural gas, and biomass via syngas to a variety of basic chemicals and fuels. However, the selectivity control mechanism is far from being understood. Therefore, we focus mainly on the catalytic roles of the bifunctionalities of OXZEO while reviewing the development of bifunctional catalysts for selective syngas conversion by taking syngas-to-light olefins as an example. With this, we intend to provide insights into the selectivity control mechanism of the OXZEO concept in order to understand the challenges and prospects for future development of much more active and more selective catalysts.

Preliminary evaluation of a commercially viable Co-based hybrid catalyst system in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis combined with hydroprocessing

A hybrid catalyst for one-step conversion of syngas into liquid hydrocarbons, mainly gasoline and diesel, is proposed.

A core–shell Y zeolite with a mono-crystalline core and a loosely aggregated polycrystalline shell: a hierarchical cracking catalyst for large reactants

Increased external surface areas promote the pre-cracking of reactants, and the core–shell structure guarantees that reactants undergo a hierarchical cracking process.

New horizon in C1 chemistry: breaking the selectivity limitation in transformation of syngas and hydrogenation of CO2 into hydrocarbon chemicals and fuels

Recent advances in bifunctional catalysis for conversion of syngas and hydrogenation of CO₂ into chemicals and fuels have been highlighted.

Macroscopic assembly style of catalysts significantly determining their efficiency for converting CO2 to gasoline

Efficient conversion of CO₂ into high-quality gasoline is realized over a Fe–Zn–Zr and HZSM-5 core–shell catalyst.

Strategies to control zeolite particle morphology

Methods to synthesize zeolites with different crystal habits and assemble zeolite crystals into specific structures are reviewed for the rational design of zeolite particle morphologies.

Synthesis of Engineered Zeolitic Materials: From Classical Zeolites to Hierarchical Core-Shell Materials

The term "engineered zeolitic materials" refers to a class of materials with a rationally designed pore system and active-sites distribution. They are primarily made of crystalline microporous zeolites as the main building blocks, which can be accompanied by other secondary components to form composite materials. These materials are of potential importance in many industrial fields like catalysis or selective adsorption. Herein, critical aspects related to the synthesis and modification of such materials are discussed. The first section provides a short introduction on classical zeolite structures and properties, and their conventional synthesis methods. Then, the motivating rationale behind the growing demand for structural alteration of these zeolitic materials is discussed, with an emphasis on the ongoing struggles regarding mass-transfer issues. The state-of-the-art techniques that are currently available for overcoming these hurdles are reviewed. Following this, the focus is set on core-shell composites as one of the promising pathways toward the creation of a new generation of highly versatile and efficient engineered zeolitic substances. The synthesis approaches developed thus far to make zeolitic core-shell materials and their analogues, yolk-shell, and hollow materials, are also examined and summarized. Finally, the last section concisely reviews the performance of novel core-shell, yolk-shell, and hollow zeolitic materials for some important industrial applications.

Design and Synthesis of Powerful Capsule Catalysts Aimed at Applications in C1 Chemistry and Biomass Conversion

Tandem catalytic reaction is a promising strategy to improve the utilization efficiency of energy and resources. The conventional hybrid catalysts cannot readily realize the precisely controlled synthesis of target products due to the unrestricted, open reaction environment. Assembling the hybrid catalyst with multiple active sites into core-shell structured capsule catalyst is one of the most effective ways to enhance the selectivity of desired products during a tandem catalysis process, because the core-shell structure offers a space-confined reaction field and synergistic effect. This review describes our recent progresses on the design and synthesis of core-shell structured zeolite capsule catalysts developed for C1 chemistry and biomass conversion. The various synthesis methods for constructing the well-defined zeolite capsule catalysts are described in detail. The applications of the capsule catalysts in catalysis, including the middle isoparaffins synthesis from syngas, one-step synthesis of dimethyl ether, and liquid-phase tandem reaction of glycerol conversion, are discussed, respectively. Our perspectives regarding the challenges and opportunities for future research in the field are also provided.

Stability of a Bifunctional Cu-Based Core@Zeolite Shell Catalyst for Dimethyl Ether Synthesis Under Redox Conditions Studied by Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopy and In Situ X-Ray Ptychography

When using bifunctional core@shell catalysts, the stability of both the shell and core-shell interface is crucial for catalytic applications. In the present study, we elucidate the stability of a CuO/ZnO/Al2O3@ZSM-5 core@shell material, used for one-stage synthesis of dimethyl ether from synthesis gas. The catalyst stability was studied in a hierarchical manner by complementary environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and in situ hard X-ray ptychography with a specially designed in situ cell. Both reductive activation and reoxidation were applied. The core-shell interface was found to be stable during reducing and oxidizing treatment at 250°C as observed by ETEM and in situ X-ray ptychography, although strong changes occurred in the core on a 10 nm scale due to the reduction of copper oxide to metallic copper particles. At 350°C, in situ X-ray ptychography indicated the occurrence of structural changes also on the µm scale, i.e. the core material and parts of the shell undergo restructuring. Nevertheless, the crucial core-shell interface required for full bifunctionality appeared to remain stable. This study demonstrates the potential of these correlative in situ microscopy techniques for hierarchically designed catalysts.

Design of nanocomposites with cobalt encapsulated in the zeolite micropores for selective synthesis of isoparaffins in Fischer–Tropsch reaction

A new strategy for the synthesis of metal–zeolite nanocomposite materials containing metal nanoparticles only in the zeolite pores is proposed.

Transition metal pairs on ceria-promoted, ordered mesoporous alumina as catalysts for the CO2 reforming reaction of methane

Cobalt and iron clusters dispersed over ordered mesoporous γ-Al₂O₃ enable stable conversion of methane and carbon dioxide to syngas. Tungsten containing catalysts deactivate with TOS. Ceria–zirconia redox promotion is crucial for preventing carbon accumulation.

Synthesis of isoalkanes over a core (Fe–Zn–Zr)–shell (zeolite) catalyst by CO2 hydrogenation

An Fe–Zn–Zr@zeolite core–shell catalyst synthesized by a simple cladding method shows an obvious confinement effect on the synthesis of isoalkanes by CO₂ hydrogenation.

Structuring catalyst and reactor – an inviting avenue to process intensification

Multiphase catalytic processes involve the combination of scale-dependent and scale-independent phenomena, often resulting in a compromised, sub-optimal performance.

Effect of SiO2/Al2O3 ratio on the activities of CoRu/ZSM-5 Fischer–Tropsch synthesis catalysts

Interaction between Co and framework defects decreases the activity of the ZSM-5-supported CoRu catalyst in the FTS reaction.

Selective transformation of syngas into gasoline-range hydrocarbons over mesoporous H-ZSM-5-supported cobalt nanoparticles

Bifunctional Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalysts that couple uniform-sized Co nanoparticles for CO hydrogenation and mesoporous zeolites for hydrocracking/isomerization reactions were found to be promising for the direct production of gasoline-range (C5-11 ) hydrocarbons from syngas. The Brønsted acidity results in hydrocracking/isomerization of the heavier hydrocarbons formed on Co nanoparticles, while the mesoporosity contributes to suppressing the formation of lighter (C1-4 ) hydrocarbons. The selectivity for C5-11 hydrocarbons could reach about 70 % with a ratio of isoparaffins to n-paraffins of approximately 2.3 over this catalyst, and the former is markedly higher than the maximum value (ca. 45 %) expected from the Anderson-Schulz-Flory distribution. By using n-hexadecane as a model compound, it was clarified that both the acidity and mesoporosity play key roles in controlling the hydrocracking reactions and thus contribute to the improved product selectivity in FT synthesis.