Influence of sucrose addition and acid treatment of silica-supported Co-Ru catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) Vol. 231; pp. 157 - 164
• Main Authors: Ribeiro, André T.S., Bezerra, Victor V.L., Bartolomeu, Rodrigo A.C., Abreu, Cesar A.M., Filho, Nelson M.L., Silva, Antônio O.S., Maranhão, Laísse C.A., Merino, David, Sanz, Oihane, Montes, Mario, Machado, Giovanna, Almeida, Luciano C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Acid treatment; Acids; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chelating agents; Chelating compounds; Chelation; Chemical synthesis; Chemisorption; Co-based catalysts; Cobalt; Fischer-Tropsch process; Fischer-Tropsch synthesis; Fixed beds; Hydrocarbons; Organic chemistry; Reagents; Silica; Silicon dioxide; Sucrose; Sugar; Acid treatment; Co-based catalysts; Chelating compounds; Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2018.05.064

•Sucrose addition and acid treatment modified catalyst properties and performance.•A synergistic effect was provided by sucrose addition and acid treatment.•The longest treatments increased Co crystal size.•Both modifications enhanced the catalyst activity and the C5+ selectivity.•The 2 h treated catalysts showed higher C5+ selectivity than the other catalysts. This article highlights the formulation and evaluation of Co-Ru catalysts on silica used in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. An acid treatment of the support associated with the addition of sucrose as a chelating agent was employed. The six formulated catalytic systems were characterized (TG, XRD, N2 adsorption, H2-TPR, H2 chemisorption) and evaluated in a fixed bed tubular reactor (H2/CO:2:1, 2 MPa, space velocity 4.5 × 10−2 LN.gcat−1·h−1) at five different temperatures (185 °C, 200 °C, 215 °C, 230 °C, 260 °C). The combination of both methods enhanced the cobalt dispersion, which is accompanied by an increase in C5+ hydrocarbon productivity. However, an optimum acid treatment is required to avoid large cobalt particle formation that leads to low CO conversion.