Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is a heterogeneous catalytic process for sustainable production of fuel and value-added chemicals via syngas. It is a very complicated catalytic reaction process with co-production of paraffin, olefin, alcohol and other products. For the purpose of high selectivity to the objective product, it is very desirable to regulate the reaction network for certain reactions to take place preferentially. Obviously, one of the great challenges in FTS research is to control CO activation and then both carbon chain growth and termination for high selectivity to target product with high activity and high stability. In the past decades, syngas to fuel and chemicals via FTS are investigated at our group from fundamental research to industrial deployment. The research directions include typical FT synthesis using Co or Fe-based catalysts, higher alcohol synthesis via bifunctional catalysis, direct production of olefins from syngas. Herein, some progress about the reaction network, structure-performance relationship and the design concept of new catalysts are discussed to shed a light for development of next generation catalyst. Reaction network during syngas conversion was firstly investigated by probe molecules techniques. Alcohol, aldehyde, olefin as probe molecules were in-situ introduced into the reaction system. The existence of surface acyl species indicated that the insertion of CO rather than hydroxyl was the underlying mechanism for higher alcohols synthesis over modified FT catalysts along with the support from surface simulation. In order to reveal the structure-performance relationship, the structure evolution and change of catalytic performance during the deactivation process of CuFe and CuCo model catalysts were studied in detail. It was found that phase separation between Cu and Fe components took place and then alcohol selectivity decreased with time on stream. For CuCo model catalyst, the catalytic activity and the chain growth probabilities of both alcohols and hydrocarbons decreased with time-on-stream. It was suggested particle sintering and Co2C formation led to the catalytic deactivation for CuCo model catalyst. Based on the fundamental research concerning the nature of active site, reaction network and structure-performance relationship, several kinds of nanocatalysts were developed for typical FT synthesis, higher alcohol synthesis and olefins production with promising performance.

Syngas to fuel and chemicals with high efficiency via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

252nd National Meeting (2016)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.