Kinetics of deactivation by carbon of a cobalt Fischer–Tropsch catalyst: Effects of CO and H2 partial pressures

Temperature-Dependent Selectivity and Detection of Hidden Carbon Deposition in Methane Oxidation

Reaction products in heterogeneous catalysis can be detected either on the catalyst surface or in the gas phase after desorption. However, if atoms are dissolved in the catalyst bulk, then reaction channels can become hidden. This is the case if the dissolution rate of the deposits is faster than their formation rate. This might lead to the underestimation or even overlooking of reaction channels such as, e.g., carbon deposition during hydrocarbon oxidation reactions, which is problematic as carbon can have a significant influence on the catalytic activity. Here, we demonstrate how such hidden deposition channels can be uncovered by carefully measuring the product formation rates in the local gas phase just above the catalyst surface with time-resolved ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As a case study, we investigate methane oxidation on a polycrystalline Pd catalyst in an oxygen-lean environment at a few millibar pressure. By ramping the temperature between 350 and 525 °C, we follow the time evolution of the different reaction pathways. Only in the oxygen mass-transfer limit do we observe CO production, while our data suggests that carbon deposition also happens outside this limit.

Activation of Cobalt Foil Catalysts for CO Hydrogenation

CO hydrogenation has been studied on cobalt foils as model catalysts for Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis. The effect of pretreatment (number of calcinations and different reduction times) for cobalt foil catalysts at 220 °C, 1 bar, and H2/CO = 3 has been studied in a microreactor. The foils were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the catalytic activity of the cobalt foil increases with the number of pretreatments. The mechanism is likely an increase in the available cobalt surface area from progressively deeper oxidation of the foil, supported by surface roughness detected by SEM. The highest FT activity was obtained using a reduction time of only 5 min (compared to 1 and 30 min). Prolonged reduction caused the sintering of cobalt crystallites, while too short of a reduction time led to incomplete reduction and small crystallites susceptible to low turn-over frequency from structure sensitivity. Larger crystals from longer reduction times gave increased selectivity to heavier components. The paraffin/olefin ratio increased with the increasing number of pretreatments due to olefin hydrogenation favored by enhanced cobalt site density. From the results, it is suggested that olefin hydrogenation is not structure sensitive, and that mass transfer limitations may occur depending on the pretreatment procedure. Produced water did not influence the results for the low conversions experienced in the present study (<6%).

The Effect of Cobalt Catalyst Loading at Very High Pressure Plasma-Catalysis in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

The influence of different catalyst cobalt loadings on the C1–C3 hydrocarbon product yields and energy consumption in plasma-catalytic Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) was investigated from the standpoint of various reactor operating conditions: pressure (0.5 to 10 MPa), current (250 to 450 mA) and inter-electrode gap (0.5 to 2 mm). This was accomplished by introducing a mullite substrate, coated with 2 wt%-Co/5 wt%-Al2O3, 6 wt%-Co/5 wt%-Al2O3 or 0 wt%-Co/5 wt%-Al2O3 (blank catalyst), into a recently developed high pressure arc discharge reactor. The blank catalyst was ineffective in synthesizing hydrocarbons. Between the blank catalyst, 2 wt%, and the 6 wt% Co catalyst, the 6 wt% improved C1–C3 hydrocarbon production at all conditions, with higher yields and relatively lower energy consumption at (i) 10 MPa at 10 s, and 2 MPa at 60 s, for the pressure variation study; (ii) 250 mA for the current variation study; and (iii) 2 mm for the inter-electrode gap variation study. The inter-electrode gap of 2 mm, using the 6 wt% Co catalyst, led to the overall highest methane, ethane, ethylene, propane and propylene yields of 22 424, 517, 101, 79 and 19 ppm, respectively, compared to 40 ppm of methane and <1 ppm of C1–C3 hydrocarbons for the blank catalyst, while consuming 660 times less energy for the production of a mole of methane. Furthermore, the 6 wt% Co catalyst produced carbon nanotubes (CNTs), detected via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the cobalt catalyst was modified by plasma treatment.

The Characterisation of Hydrogen on Nickel and Cobalt Catalysts

We have investigated a series of supported and unsupported nickel and cobalt catalysts, principally using neutron vibrational spectroscopy (inelastic neutron scattering, INS). For an alumina supported Ni catalyst we are able to detect hydrogen on the metal for the first time, all previous work has used Raney Ni. For an unsupported Ni foam catalyst, which has similar behaviour to Raney Ni but with a much lower density, the spectra show that there are approximately equal numbers of (100) and (111) sites, in contrast to Raney Ni that shows largely (111) sites. The observation of hydrogen on cobalt catalysts proved to be extremely challenging. In order to generate a cobalt metal surface, reduction in hydrogen at 250–300 °C is required. Lower temperatures result in a largely hydroxylated surface. The spectra show that on Raney Co (and probably also on a Co foam catalyst), hydrogen occupies a threefold hollow site, similar to that found on Co($$10\bar{1}0$$ 10 1 ¯ 0 ). The reduced surface is highly reactive: transfers between cells in a high quality glovebox were sufficient to re-hydroxylate the surface.

The Effect of CO Partial Pressure on Important Kinetic Parameters of Methanation Reaction on Co-Based FTS Catalyst Studied by SSITKA-MS and Operando DRIFTS-MS Techniques

A 20 wt% Co-0.05 wt% Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was investigated to obtain a fundamental understanding of the effect of CO partial pressure (constant H2 partial pressure) on important kinetic parameters of the methanation reaction (x vol% CO/25 vol% H2, x = 3, 5 and 7) by performing advanced transient isotopic and operando diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy–mass spectrometry (DRIFTS-MS) experiments. Steady State Isotopic Transient Kinetic Analysis (SSITKA) experiments conducted at 1.2 bar, 230 °C after 5 h in CO/H2 revealed that the surface coverages, θCO and θCHx and the mean residence times, τCO, and τCHx (s) of the reversibly adsorbed CO-s and active CHx-s (Cα) intermediates leading to CH4, respectively, increased with increasing CO partial pressure. On the contrary, the apparent activity (keff, s−1) of CHx-s intermediates, turnover frequency (TOF, s−1) of methanation reaction, and the CH4-selectivity (SCH4, %) were found to decrease. Transient isothermal hydrogenation (TIH) following the SSITKA step-gas switch provided important information regarding the reactivity and concentration of active (Cα) and inactive -CxHy (Cβ) carbonaceous species formed after 5 h in the CO/H2 reaction. The latter Cβ species were readily hydrogenated at 230 °C in 50%H2/Ar. The surface coverage of Cβ was found to vary only slightly with increasing CO partial pressure. Temperature-programmed hydrogenation (TPH) following SSITKA and TIH revealed that other types of inactive carbonaceous species (Cγ) were formed during Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) and hydrogenated at elevated temperatures (250–550 °C). The amount of Cγ was found to significantly increase with increasing CO partial pressure. All carbonaceous species hydrogenated during TIH and TPH revealed large differences in their kinetics of hydrogenation with respect to the CO partial pressure in the CO/H2 reaction mixture. Operando DRIFTS-MS transient isothermal hydrogenation of adsorbed CO-s formed after 2 h in 5 vol% CO/25 vol% H2/Ar at 200 °C coupled with kinetic modeling (H-assisted CO hydrogenation) provided information regarding the relative reactivity (keff) for CH4 formation of the two kinds of linear-type adsorbed CO-s on the cobalt surface.

Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Computational Sensitivity Modeling for Series of Cobalt Catalysts

Nearly a century ago, Fischer and Tropsch discovered a means of synthesizing organic compounds ranging from C1 to C70 by reacting carbon monoxide and hydrogen on a catalyst. Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is now known as a pseudo-polymerization process taking a mixture of CO as H2 (also known as syngas) to produce a vast array of hydrocarbons, along with various small amounts of oxygenated materials. Despite the decades spent studying this process, it is still considered a black-box reaction with a mechanism that is still under debate. This investigation sought to improve our understanding by taking data from a series of experimental Fischer–Tropsch synthesis runs to build a computational model. The experimental runs were completed in an isothermal continuous stirred-tank reactor, allowing for comparison across a series of completed catalyst tests. Similar catalytic recipes were chosen so that conditional comparisons of pressure, temperature, SV, and CO/H2 could be made. Further, results from the output of the reactor that included the deviations in product selectivity, especially that of methane and CO2, were considered. Cobalt was chosen for these exams for its industrial relevance and respectfully clean process as it does not intrinsically undergo the water–gas shift (WGS). The primary focus of this manuscript was to compare runs using cobalt-based catalysts that varied in two oxide catalyst supports. The results were obtained by creating two differential equations, one for H2 and one for CO, in terms of products or groups of products. These were analyzed using sensitivity analysis (SA) to determine the products or groups that impact the model the most. The results revealed a significant difference in sensitivity between the two catalyst–support combinations. When the model equations for H2 and CO were split, the results indicated that the CO equation was significantly more sensitive to CO2 production than the H2 equation.

Influence of Carbon Deposits on the Cobalt-Catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch Reaction: Evidence of a Two-Site Reaction Model

One of the well-known observations in the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reaction is that the CH₄ selectivity for cobalt catalysts is always higher than the value expected on the basis of the Anderson-Schulz-Flory (ASF) distribution. Depositing graphitic carbon on a cobalt catalyst strongly suppresses this non-ASF CH₄, while the formation of higher hydrocarbons is much less affected. Carbon was laid down on the cobalt catalyst via the Boudouard reaction. We provide evidence that the amorphous carbon does not influence the FT reaction, as it can be easily hydrogenated under reaction conditions. Graphitic carbon is rapidly formed and cannot be removed. This unreactive form of carbon is located on terrace sites and mainly decreases the CO conversion by limiting CH₄ formation. Despite nearly unchanged higher hydrocarbon yield, the presence of graphitic carbon enhances the chain-growth probability and strongly suppresses olefin hydrogenation. We demonstrate that graphitic carbon will slowly deposit on the cobalt catalysts during CO hydrogenation, thereby influencing CO conversion and the FT product distribution in a way similar to that for predeposited graphitic carbon. We also demonstrate that the buildup of graphitic carbon by ¹³CO increases the rate of C-C coupling during the ¹²C₃H₆ hydrogenation reaction, whose products follow an ASF-type product distribution of the FT reaction. We explain these results by a two-site model on the basis of insights into structure sensitivity of the underlying reaction steps in the FT mechanism: carbon formed on step-edge sites is involved in chain growth or can migrate to terrace sites, where it is rapidly hydrogenated to CH₄. The primary olefinic FT products are predominantly hydrogenated on terrace sites. Covering the terraces by graphitic carbon increases the residence time of CH _x intermediates, in line with decreased CH₄ selectivity and increased chain-growth rate.

Modeling the kinetics of cobalt Fischer-Tropsch catalyst deactivation trends through an innovative modified Weibull distribution

Since the increase in clean energy demand is driven by environmental concerns, energy management is an ever-lasting issue globally. Among the different scenarios for energy manufacturing, the catalytic route through the famous process named Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis provides beneficial consequences including pollution reduction and economic efficiency, among others. In this regard, catalyst stability must be taken into account as a crucial performance parameter, especially in the expensive cobalt-catalyzed CO hydrogenation processes. As catalyst deactivation seems to be inevitable in catalytic processes, deactivation issues such as the extent, failure rate, or reactivation significantly influence the exploration, development, design, and operation of commercial processes. Accordingly, the deactivation trend of a cobalt-based catalyst was modeled via an innovative Weibull distribution base, which presents a significant advance over the existing macroscopic deactivation models. Being employed to obtain informative equations, the model parameters provide valuable information about the catalyst lifetime, which can be used as a useful predictive tool for industrial control purposes.

On the nature of active phases and sites in CO and CO2 hydrogenation catalysts

Advanced characterisation techniques are shedding new light on the identification of active CO_x hydrogenation phases and sites.

Kinetics and computational fluid dynamics study for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis in microchannel and fixed-bed reactors

CO concentration profile during Fischer–Tropsch synthesis in microchannel and fixed bed reactors.

Modeling of transport phenomena in fixed-bed reactors for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction: a brief literature review

Currently, few processes can be considered practical alternatives to the use of petroleum for liquid fuel production. Among these alternatives, the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) reaction has been successfully applied commercially. Nevertheless, many of the fundamentals of this process are difficult to understand because of its complexity, which depends strongly on the catalyst and the reactor design and operating conditions, as the reaction is seriously affected by mass and heat transport issues. Thus, studying this reaction system with transport phenomena models can help to elucidate the impact of different parameters on the reaction. According to the literature, modeling FTS systems with 1D models provides valuable information for understanding the phenomena that occur during this process. However, 2D models must be used to simulate the reactor to correctly predict the reactor variables, particularly the temperature, which is a critical parameter to achieve a suitable distribution of products during the reaction. Thus, this work provides a general resume of the current findings on the modeling of transport phenomena on a particle/pellet level in a tubular fixed-bed reactor.

Thermodynamics and kinetics of carbon deposits on cobalt: a combined density functional theory and kinetic Monte Carlo study

We have built a lattice gas model for cobalt-carbon interaction to investigate the thermodynamics and kinetics of carbon deposition on Co(0001) surfaces. The formation of carbon structures on cobalt is considered to be one of the causes of deactivation of a cobalt Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalyst. The formation of graphene - the most thermodynamically stable phase under FT conditions - is kinetically inhibited during the first 30 hours of exposure of the surface to carbon, while the build-up of surface carbide is the fastest reaction. Our simulations clearly show that the kinetics of carbon deposition is the result of two competing effects: a fast subsurface diffusion and a slower surface diffusion to form a carbon-carbon bond.

Active phase distribution changes within a catalyst particle during Fischer–Tropsch synthesis as revealed by multi-scale microscopy

A new combination of three chemical imaging methods has been developed and applied to fresh and spent co-based Fischer–Tropsch catalysts.

Silicon carbide foam as a porous support platform for catalytic applications

This review provides an overview of the use of foam-structured SiC as a porous support platform in some typical catalytic processes both for gas-phase and liquid-phase reactions, such as H₂S selective oxidation, Friedel–Crafts benzoylation and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis.

Things go better with coke: the beneficial role of carbonaceous deposits in heterogeneous catalysis

Carbonaceous deposits on heterogeneous catalysts are traditionally associated with catalyst deactivation. However, they can play a beneficial role in many catalytic processes, e.g. dehydrogenation, hydrogenation, alkylation, isomerisation, Fischer–Tropsch, MTO etc. This review highlights the role and mechanism by which coke deposits can enhance catalytic performance.