Cobalt catalysts supported on silica nanotubes for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Silica nanotubes(SNT) have been synthesized using carbon nanotubes(CNT) as a template.Silica-coated carbon nanotubes(SNT-CNT) and SNT were loaded with a cobalt catalyst for use in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis(FTS).The catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and characterized by N2 physisorption,X-ray diffraction(XRD),hydrogen temperature programmed reduction(H2-TPR) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).FTS performance was evaluated in a fixed-bed reactor at 493 K and 1.0 MPa.Co/CNT and Co/SNT catalysts showed higher activity than Co/SNT-CNT in FTS because of the smaller cobalt particle size,higher dispersion and stronger reducibility.The results also showed that structure of the support affects the product selectivity in FTS.The synergistic effects of cobalt particle size,catalytic activity and diffusion limitations as a consequence of its small average pore size lead to medium selectivity to C5+ hydrocarbons and CH4 over Co/SNT-CNT.On the other hand,the Co/CNT showed higher CH4 selectivity and lower C5+ selectivity than Co/SNT,due to its smaller average pore size and cobalt particle size.     

Syntheis of SWNTs over Co-Mo/MgO Nanoporous and using as a catalyst support for selective hydrogenation of syn gas to hydrocarbon

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with high surface area were synthesized over nanoporous Co-Mo/MgO by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The SWNTs were used as catalyst support for selective hydrogenation of syngas to hydrocarbons. Here an extensive study of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) on CNT-supported cobalt catalysts with different amounts of cobalt loading up to 40 wt% is reported. The catalysts were characterized by different methods including N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, hydrogen chemisorption, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and temperature-programmed reduction. Enhancement of the reducibility of Co3O4 to CoO, CoO to Coo and small cobalt oxide particles, dispersion of the cobalt, and activity and selectivity of FTS were investigated and compared with a conventional support. The CNT supported catalysts achieve a high dispersion and high loading of the active metal, cobalt in particular, so that the bulk formation of cobalt metal, which tends to occur in conventional support, can be avoided. The results showed that the specific activity of CNT supported catalysts increase significantly (there is a two fold increase in CO Conversion per gram of the active metal) with respect to the conventional supported catalyst.     

Synthesis of SWNTs over nanoporous Co-Mo/MgO and using as a catalyst support for selective hydrogenation of syngas to hydrocarbon

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with high surface area were synthesized over nanoporous Co-Mo/MgO by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The SWNTs were used as catalyst support for selective hydrogenation of syngas to hydrocarbons. Here an extensive study of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) on CNT-supported cobalt catalysts with different amounts of cobalt loading up to 40 wt% is reported. The catalysts were characterized by different methods including N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, hydrogen chemisorption, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and temperature-programmed reduction. Enhancement of the reducibility of Co3O4 to CoO, CoO to Coo and small cobalt oxide particles, dispersion of the cobalt, and activity and selectivity of FTS were investigated and compared with a conventional support. The CNT supported catalysts achieve a high dispersion and high loading of the active metal, cobalt in particular, so that the bulk formation of cobalt metal, which tends to occur in conventional support, can be avoided. The results showed that the specific activity of CNT supported catalysts increase significantly (there is a two fold increase in CO Conversion per gram of the active metal) with respect to the conventional supported catalyst.     

Particle size effects in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis by Co catalyst supported on carbon nanotubes

The effect of Co particle size on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) activity of carbon nanotube (CNT)-supported Co catalysts was investigated. Microemulsion (using water-to-surfactant molar ratios of 2 to12) and impregnation techniques were used to prepare catalysts with different Co particle sizes. Kinetic studies were performed to understand the effect of Co particle size on catalytic activity. Size-dependent kinetic parameters were developed using a thermodynamic method, to evaluate the structural sensitivity of the CNT-supported Co catalysts. The size-independent FTS reaction rate constant and size-independent adsorption parameter increased with increasing reac-tion temperature. The Polani parameter also depended on catalyst particle size, because of changes in the catalyst surface coverage.     

Effect of support and cobalt precursors on the activity of Co/AlPO4 catalysts in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Cobalt supported on amorphous aluminum phosphate (Co/AlPO₄) catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method using three different cobalt precursors such as cobalt nitrate, acetate and chloride to elucidate the activity of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The use of AlPO₄ as a support for cobalt-based catalysts exhibits better catalytic performance during FTS reaction than the corresponding Co/Al₂O₃ catalyst. TPR results also suggest that the reducibility of the catalysts varies with the nature of cobalt precursors employed during the impregnation on AlPO₄ support. The Co/AlPO₄ catalyst prepared from cobalt nitrate shows higher CO conversion and C₈+ selectivity than the others due to the facile formation of homogeneous cobalt particles with proper electronic characters and high reducibility. Interestingly, all Co/AlPO₄ showed a growth of filamentous carbon initiated from the large mobile cobalt particles during the reaction. The differences in catalytic properties of Co/AlPO₄ are mainly attributed to the cobalt particle size, reducibility with different electronic states of metallic cobalt, pore diameter of AlPO₄ and formation of filamentous carbon.     

碳纳米管负载的钴催化剂在费托合成反应中的粒子尺寸效应（英文）

The effect of Co particle size on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis(FTS) activity of carbon nanotube(CNT)-supported Co catalysts was investigated. Microemulsion(using water-to-surfactant molar ratios of 2 to12) and impregnation techniques were used to prepare catalysts with different Co particle sizes. Kinetic studies were performed to understand the effect of Co particle size on catalytic activity. Size-dependent kinetic parameters were developed using a thermodynamic method, to evaluate the structural sensitivity of the CNT-supported Co catalysts. The size-independent FTS reaction rate constant and size-independent adsorption parameter increased with increasing reaction temperature. The Polani parameter also depended on catalyst particle size, because of changes in the catalyst surface coverage.     

Effect of cobalt weight content on the structure and catalytic properties of Co/CNT catalysts in the fischer–tropsch synthesis

Cobalt-based Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalysts containing 1 to 40 wt % cobalt supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated. The CNTs have been characterized by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. All catalysts have been prepared by impregnating, with an ethanolic solution of cobalt nitrate, the CNTs preoxidized with concentrated nitric acid and have been tested in the FTS at 220°C and atmospheric pressure. Correlations have been established between the cobalt weight content of the catalyst and the Co particle size determined by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The Co content and particle size have an effect on the activity and selectivity of the catalyst and on the target fraction (C₅₊) yield in the FTS. The highest CO conversion is observed for the catalyst containing 20 wt % Co; the highest selectivity and activity, for the catalyst containing 5 wt % Co; the highest C₅₊ yield, for the catalyst containing 10 wt % Co.     

Catalytic properties of Ru nanoparticles embedded on ordered mesoporous carbon with different pore size in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

A series of 3 wt% Ru embedded on ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) catalysts with different pore sizes were prepared by autoreduction between ruthenium precursors and carbon sources at 1123 K. Ru nanoparticles were embedded on the carbon walls of OMC. Characterization technologies including power X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) were used to scrutinize the catalysts. The catalyst activity for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) was measured in a fixed bed reactor. It was revealed that 3 wt% Ru-OMC catalysts exhibited highly ordered mesoporous structure and large surface area. Compared with the catalysts with smaller pores, the catalysts with larger pores were inclined to form larger Ru particles. These 3 wt% Ru-OMC catalysts with different pore sizes were more stable than 3 wt% Ru/AC catalyst during the FTS reactions because Ru particles were embedded on the carbon walls, suppressing particles aggregation, movement and oxidation. The catalytic activity and C₅₊ selectivity were found to increase with the increasing pore size, however, CH₄ selectivity showed the opposite trend. These changes may be explained in terms of the special environment of the active Ru sites and the diffusion of products in the pores of the catalysts, suggesting that the activity and hydrocarbon selectivity are more dependent on the pore size of OMC than on the Ru particle size.     

Synthesis and characterization of multiwall carbon nanotubes/alumina nanohybrid-supported cobalt catalyst in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and alumina are combined to give a new type of nanohybrid for Fisher-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalyst support. Alumina nano-particles (10 wt%) were introduced directly on functionalized MWNTs by a modified sol-gel method. Microstructure observations show that alumina particles were homogeneously dispersed on the inside and outside of modified MWNTs surfaces. 15 wt% cobalt loading catalysts were prepared with this nanohybrid and γ-alumina as a reference, using a sol-gel technique and wet impregnation method respectively. These catalysts were characterized by TEM, XRD, N₂-adsorption, H₂ chemisorption and TPR. The deposition of cobalt nanoparticles synthesized by sol-gel technique on the MWNTs nanohybrid shift the reduction peaks to a low temperature, indicating higher reducibility for uniform cobalt particles. Nanohybrid also aided in high dispersion of metal clusters and high stability and performance of catalyst. The proposed MWNTs nanohybrid-supported cobalt catalysts showed the improved FTS rate (g_HC/(g_cat·min)), CO conversion (%), and water gas shift rate (WGS)(g_CO2/(g_cat·h)) of 0.012, 52, and 30E-3, respectively, as compared to those of 0.007, 25, and 18E-3, respectively, on the γ-alumina-supported cobalt catalysts with the same Co loading.     

States of Carbon Nanotube Supported Mo-Based HDS Catalysts

The dispersion of the active phase and loading capacity of the Mo species on carbon nanotube (CNT) was studied by the XRD technique. The reducibility properties of Co-Mo catalysts in the oxide state over CNTs were investigated by TPR, while the sulfided Co-Mo/CNT catalysts were characterized by means of the XRD and LRS techniques. The activity and selectivity with respect to the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) performances on carbon nanotube supported Co-Mo catalysts were evaluated. It was found that the main active molybdenum species in the oxide state MoO3/CNT catalysts were MoO2, but not MoO3, as generally expected. The maximum loading before the formation of the bulk phase was lower than 6% (percent by mass, based on MoO3). TPR studies revealed that the active species in the oxide state Co-Mo/CNT catalysts were reduced more easily at relatively lower temperatures in comparison to those of the Co-Mo/γ-Al2O3 catalysts, indicating that the CNT support promoted or favored the reduction of the active species. The active species of a Co-Mo-0.7/CNT catalyst were more easily reduced than those of the Co-Mo/CNT catalysts with Co/Mo atomic ratios of 0.2, 0.35, and 0.5, respectively, suggesting that the Co/Mo atomic ratio has a great effect on the reducibility of the active species. It was found that the incorporation of cobalt improved the dispersion of the molybdenum species on the support, and a phenomenon of mobilization and re-dispersion had occurred during the sulfurization process, resulting in low valence state Mo3S4 and Co-MoS2.17 active phases. HDS measurements showed that the Co-Mo/CNT catalysts were more active than the Co-Mo/γ-Al2O3 ones for the desulfurization of DBT, and the hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation selectivity of the Co-Mo/CNT catalysts was also much higher than those of the Co-Mo/γ-Al2O3. The Co-Mo/CNT catalyst with a Co/Mo atomic ratio of 0.7 showed the highest activity, whereas the catalyst with a Co/Mo atomic ratio of 0.35 had the highest selectivity.     

Comparing the deactivation behaviour of Co/CNT and Co/γ-Al2O3 nano catalysts in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

An extensive study of Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis on cobalt nano particles supported on γ-alumina and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) catalysts is reported.20 wt% of cobalt is loaded on the supports by impregnation method.The deactivation of the two catalysts was studied at 220 C,2 MPa and 2.7 L/h feed flow rate using a fixed bed micro-reactor.The calcined fresh and used catalysts were characterized extensively and different sources of catalyst deactivation were identified.Formation of cobalt-support mixed oxides in the form of xCoO yAl2O3 and cobalt aluminates formation were the main sources of the Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst deactivation.However sintering and cluster growth of cobalt nano particles are the main sources of the Co/CNTs catalyst deactivation.In the case of the Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst,after 720 h on stream of continuous FT synthesis the average cobalt nano particles diameter increased from 15.9 to 18.4 nm,whereas,under the same reaction conditions the average cobalt nano particles diameter of the Co/CNTs increased from 11.2 to 17.8 nm.Although,the initial FT activity of the Co/CNTs was 26% higher than that of the Co/γ-Al2O3,the FT activity over the Co/CNTs after 720 h on stream decreased by 49% and that over the Co/γ-Al2O3 by 32%.For the Co/γ-Al2O3 catalyst 6.7% of total activity loss and for the Co/CNTs catalyst 11.6% of total activity loss cannot be recovered after regeneration of the catalyst at the same conditions of the first regeneration step.It is concluded that using CNTs as cobalt catalyst support is beneficial in carbon utilization as compared to γ-Al2O3 support,but the Co/CNTs catalyst is more susceptible for deactivation.     

MOFs衍生炭负载的钴基催化剂的廉价制备及其CO加氢催化性能

以对苯二甲酸（H₂BDC）为配体、乙酸钴为Co源、水作溶剂,通过共沉淀法合成了金属有机框架材料（Co-BDC MOFs）;以其为前驱体分别在乙炔和氩气氛下采用化学气相沉积法制备了核壳结构Co@C催化剂。结合XRD、氮吸附、SEM、TEM、XPS、TGA和Raman光谱等手段对Co@C催化剂的结构和组成进行了表征,考察了该催化剂在费托合成反应中的活性及稳定性。结果表明,炭化气氛对炭层结构的石墨化程度有较大影响,而对金属Co核的物相结构和粒径影响较小;乙炔气氛有助于形成多孔的石墨炭壳,从而促进烃链的生长,Co@C-C₂H₂催化剂上的C₅₊烃产物选择性高达82.66%,反应过程中催化剂物相由单相金属Co转变为金属Co与Co₂C的混合相,且无失活现象发生,表明Co₂C具有较高的费托反应催化活性。     

中孔分子筛负载钴催化剂制备及其在费-托合成中的催化性能

 以HMS,MCM－41,AlHMS和ZrO2／HMS等中孔分子筛为载体,采用孔体积浸渍法制备了系列负载型钴催化剂．XRD测定结果表明,Co氧化物完全分散于分子筛内表面,载体仍保持中孔分子筛的特征;低温N2吸附测定结果表明,表面负载金属钴后,分子筛的比表面积和孔体积下降,孔径减小,孔壁增厚．比较了不同中孔分子筛负载Co催化剂在F－T反应中的催化性能,以短程六角对称的HMS为载体,有利于F－T反应中的链增长,烃类产物主要为微晶蜡;以ZrO2／HMS为载体可抑制CH4的生成,提高C5＋的选择性．     

The effects of promoters of K and Zr on the mesoporous carbon supported cobalt catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

The mesoporous carbon supported cobalt catalyst (15%Co/MC) was found to be more active and selective to C(5)(+) than the traditionally activated carbon supported one (15%Co/AC) for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The addition of small amount of K(2)O and ZrO(2) significantly affected the FTS behavior of 15%Co/MC. The addition of 1% K inhibited the FTS activity dramatically, while the addition of 3% Zr increased the FTS activity significantly. The addition of K(2)O decreased the surface acidity while increased the surface basicity of 15%Co/MC, resulting in the increased heat of adsorption of CO and substantially decreased heat of adsorption of H(2) on Co. In contrast, the addition of ZrO(2) increased the surface acidity and heat of adsorption of H(2) on Co. The FTS activity was found to be related to the ratio of heats for the adsorption of CO and H(2) on the catalysts 15%Co/MC, 15%Co-1%K/MC and 15%Co-3%Zr/MC. The highest FTS activity was obtained on the catalyst with the heat ratio of 1.2.     

碳纳米管负载Co-Mo催化剂在孤岛减压渣油加氢裂化反应中的应用

采用等体积浸渍法制备了一系列不同Co/Mo原子比的碳纳米管（CNT）负载Co Mo催化剂。将该系列催化剂用于孤岛减压渣油加氢裂化反应，评价其催化效果，并在相同反应条件下与 γAl2O3负载Co-Mo催化剂的催化性能进行比较。结果表明，Co-Mo/CNT催化剂的催化效果略低于Co-Mo/γAl2O3催化剂。Co/Mo原子比对Co-Mo/CNT催化剂的催化效果有较大的影响。与相同载体的催化剂相比，当Co/Mo原子比为0.50时，Co-Mo/CNT催化剂具有最佳的催化效果，而Co-Mo/γAl2O3催化剂在Co/Mo原子比为0.35时具有最佳的催化效果。     

Effect of confinement in carbon nanotubes on the activity of Fischer-Tropsch iron catalyst

Following our previous findings that confinement within carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can modify the redox properties of encapsulated iron oxides, we demonstrate here how this can affect the catalytic reactivity of iron catalysts in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The investigation, using in situ XRD under conditions close to the reaction conditions, reveals that the distribution of iron carbide and oxide phases is modulated in the CNT-confined system. The iron species encapsulated inside CNTs prefer to exist in a more reduced state, tending to form more iron carbides under the reaction conditions, which have been recognized to be essential to obtain high FTS activity. The relative ratio of the integral XRD peaks of iron carbide (Fe(x)C(y)) to oxide (FeO) is about 4.7 for the encapsulated iron catalyst in comparison to 2.4 for the iron catalyst dispersed on the outer walls of CNTs under the same conditions. This causes a remarkable modification of the catalytic performance. The yield of C5+ hydrocarbons over the encapsulated iron catalyst is twice that over iron catalyst outside CNTs and more than 6 times that over activated-carbon-supported iron catalyst. The catalytic activity enhancement is attributed to the effect of confinement of the iron catalyst within the CNT channels. As demonstrated by temperature-programmed reduction in H2 and in CO atmospheres, the reducibility of the iron species is significantly improved when they are confined. The ability to modify the redox properties via confinement in CNTs is expected to be of significance for many catalytic reactions, which are highly dependent on the redox state of the active components. Furthermore, diffusion and aggregation of the iron species through the reduction and reaction have been observed, but these are retarded inside CNTs due to the spatial restriction of the channels.     

A zirconium modified Co/SiO2 Fischer-Tropsch catalyst prepared by dielectric-barrier discharge plasma

Co/SiO₂ and zirconium promoted Co/Zr/SiO₂ catalysts were prepared using dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) plasma instead of the conventional thermal calcination method. Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) performances of the catalyst were evaluated in a fixed bed reactor. The results indicated that the catalyst treated by DBD plasma shows the higher FTS activity and yield of heavy hydrocarbons as compared with that treated by the conventional thermal calcination method. Increase in CO conversion was unnoticeable on the Co/SiO₂ catalyst, but significant on the Co/Zr/SiO₂ catalyst, both prepared by DBD plasma. On the other hand, heavy hydrocarbon selectivity and chain growth probability (α value) were enhanced on all the catalysts prepared by the DBD plasma. In order to study the effect of the DBD plasma treatment on the FTS performance, the catalysts were characterized by N₂-physisorption, H₂-temperature programed reduction (H₂-TPR), H₂-temperature-programmed desorption (H₂-TPD) and oxygen titration, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was proved that, compared with the traditional calcination method, DBD plasma not only could shorten the precursor decomposition time, but also could achieve better cobalt dispersion, smaller Co₃O₄ cluster size and more uniform cobalt distribution. However, cobalt reducibility was hindered to some extent in the Co/SiO₂ catalyst prepared by DBD plasma, while the zirconium additive prevented significantly the decrease in cobalt reducibility and increased cobalt dispersion as well as the FTS performance.     

Effect of the pore size of Co/SBA-15 isomorphically substituted with zirconium on its catalytic performance in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Cobalt catalysts supported on a series of mesoporous SBA-15 materials isomorphically substituted with zirconium (Zr/Si atomic ratio = 1/20) with different pore sizes (5.7 nm, 7.8 nm, 11.6 nm, 17.6 nm) have been synthesized. The catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, ²⁹Si solid state magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR, N₂ adsorption-desorption measurements, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, H₂-temperature programmed reduction, H₂-temperature programmed desorption and O₂ titrations. The results indicated that larger pore size led to weaker interactions between cobalt and the supports which lowered the temperature of both reduction steps (Co₃O₄→CoO and CoO→Co⁰). The catalytic performances of the catalysts in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) were tested in a fixed bed reactor. It was found that the FTS catalytic activity and product selectivity depended strongly on the pore size of the catalysts. The catalyst with a pore size of 7.8 nm showed the best FTS activity, and the catalyst with a pore size of 17.6 nm showed the highest selectivity to C₁₂–C₂₀ and C₂₀₊ hydrocarbons.     

水促进Co/Mo/Al2O3催化剂上碳纳米管的生长

对水促进Co/Mo/Al2O3催化剂裂解乙烯生长碳纳米管(CNTs)的研究发现,通入体积分数(φ)为0.6％的水蒸汽在1h内可将CNTs的生长倍率从3.7 g·g-1提高至70 g·g-1.水的作用在于恢复被无定形碳包覆的催化剂颗粒的活性,水的加入量由于其积碳(促进同体碳生成)和消碳(去除固体碳)的竞争作用而存在最佳值.不同反应时间下乙烯的转化率与有效催化剂含量的分析表明,在CNTs生长后期,水的催化促进作用减弱.将催化剂的相对活性与CNT聚团的相对密度关联发现,反应后期的CNTs主要在聚团内部缠绕生长,催化剂被包覆失活.拉曼测试与差热热重分析表明,生长阻力导致所得CNTs缺陷增多,CNT聚团密度变化与CNT缺陷间存在对应关系.聚团内外CNTs的生长阻力不同,生长倍率不同,导致产品纯度不均匀.     

Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol Using Cobalt Oxide Supported Inside and Outside Hollow Carbon Spheres

Cobalt oxide nanoparticles (6 nm) supported both inside and outside of hollow carbon spheres (HCSs) were synthesized by using two different polymer templates. The oxidation of benzyl alcohol was used as a model reaction to evaluate the catalysts. PXRD studies indicated that the Co oxidation state varied for the different catalysts due to reduction of the Co by the carbon, and a metal oxidation step prior to the benzyl alcohol oxidation enhanced the catalytic activity. The metal loading influenced the catalytic efficiency, and the activity decreased with increasing metal loading, possibly due to pore filling effects. The catalysts showed similar activity and selectivity (to benzaldehyde) whether placed inside or outside the HCS (63 % selectivity at 50 % conversion). No poisoning was observed due to product build up in the HCS.