Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: Effect of ammonia on supported cobalt catalysts

The effect of ammonia in syngas on the performance of various supported cobalt catalysts (i.e., Al2O3, TiO2 and SiO2) was investigated during Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) using a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The addition of ammonia (10 ppmv NH3) caused a significant deactivation for all supported cobalt catalysts, but the rate of deactivation was higher for the silica-supported catalysts relative to the alumina and titania-supported catalysts used in this work. Ammonia addition had a positive effect on product selectivity (i.e., lower light gas products and higher C-5+) for alumina and titania-supported catalysts compared to ammonia free conditions, whereas, the addition of ammonia increased lighter hydrocarbon (C-1-C-4) products and decreased higher hydrocarbon (C-5+) selectivity compared to ammonia-free synthesis conditions for the silica-supported catalyst. For alumina and titania-supported catalysts, the activity almost recovered with mild in-situ hydrogen treatment of the ammonia exposed catalysts. For the silica-supported catalyst, the loss of activity is somewhat irreversible (i.e., cannot be regained after the mild hydrogen treatment). Addition of ammonia led to a significant loss in BET surface area and changes in pore diameter (consistent with pore collapse of a fraction of pores into the microporous range as described in the literature), as well as formation of catalytically inactive cobalt support compounds for the silica-supported catalyst. On the other hand, the pore characteristics of alumina and titania-supported catalysts were not significantly changed. XANES results of the ammonia exposed silica-supported catalysts further confirm the formation of cobalt-support compounds (cobalt silicates). (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.