Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis on Co/Al2O3 Catalyst: Effect of Pretreatment Procedure

The effect of pretreatment procedure on catalytic performance during Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) of unpromoted cobalt on alumina (15 %Co/Al2O3) catalyst was studied in a fixed-bed reactor. Pure carbon monoxide or a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide were used as reducing agents prior to FTS. Pretreatments with pure CO result in low activity and high selectivity to methane and gaseous hydrocarbons in comparison to standard hydrogen reduction. The use of synthesis gas (H2/CO = 2/1) as a reducing agent resulted in high initial activity and high selectivity to gaseous hydrocarbons. Pretreatment procedure that utilized synthesis gas after the CO reduction resulted in low activity but high selectivity to high molecular weight hydrocarbons. Catalyst performance is strongly affected by the presence of cobalt carbides, cobalt oxide and/or various types of carbon species on the surface as determined by X-ray diffraction and temperature-programmed hydrogenation and oxidation characterization techniques.