Zeolites as a tool for intensification of mass transfer on the surface of a cobalt Fischer–Tropsch synthesis catalyst

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.

Determination of Kinetic Parameters of Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis in the Presence of a Granular Cobalt Catalyst

Some kinetic parameters of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) were determined in the presence of a granular cobalt/zeolite catalyst. Usually, kinetic studies of granular catalysts are considered to be complicated by external and internal diffusion. We managed to obtain a catalyst with a special structure of the active surface, where sites active in FTS are isolated from each other due to the environment of inactive spinel CoAl2O4 and inter-site transport is provided by an extensive intragranular graphitic network serving simultaneously as a heat-conductive medium. As a result, FTS proceeded in the kinetic region. It was found that the reaction kinetics obey the Arrhenius law; whereas, the activation energy is different in different temperature ranges, i.e., 118.2 kJ/mol in the range of 180–210 °C, and 173.6 kJ/mol in the range of 232–243 °C. This behavior is determined by the presence of zeolite, which becomes active in the secondary transformations of FTS products at temperatures beyond 210 °C.

The effect of the particle size on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis for ZSM-5 zeolite supported cobalt-based catalysts

A series of mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolite supported cobalt-based catalysts with the cobalt crystal sizes in the range of 4.5-18.1 nm were prepared for syngas conversion. The highly selective synthesis of various liquid fuels including gasoline, jet fuel and diesel range hydrocarbons is achieved with different cobalt nanoparticle sizes.