Characterization and catalytic behavior of EDTA modified silica nanosprings (NS)-supported cobalt catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch CO-hydrogenation

The effect of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid(EDTA) modification on the physico-chemical properties and catalytic performance of silica nanosprings(NS) supported cobalt(Co) catalyst was investigated in the conversion of syngas(H~(2+) CO) to hydrocarbons by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis(FTS). The unmodified Co/NS and modified Co/NS-EDTA catalysts were synthesized via an impregnation method. The prepared Co/NS and Co/NS-EDTA catalysts were characterized before the FTS reaction by BET surface area,X-ray diffraction(XRD),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),temperature programmed reduction(TPR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),differential thermal analysis(DTA) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) in order to find correlations between physico-chemical properties of catalysts and catalytic performance. FTS was carried out in a quartz fixedbed microreactor(H_2/CO of 2 ∶1,230 ℃ and atmospheric pressure) and the products trapped and analyzed by GC-TCD and GC-MS to determine CO conversion and reaction selectivity. The experimental results indicated that the modified Co/NS-EDTA catalyst displayed a more-dispersed phase of Co_3O_4 nanoparticles(10.9%) and the Co_3O_4 average crystallite size was about 12.4 nm. The EDTA modified catalyst showed relatively higher CO conversion(70.3%) and selectivity toward C_(6-18)(JP-8,Jet A and diesel) than the Co/NS catalyst(C_(6-14))(JP-4).     

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。     

Highly Ordered Mesoporous Cobalt-Copper Composite Oxides for Preferential CO Oxidation

Highly ordered mesoporous cobalt-copper composite oxides were prepared by the nanocasting method with various Co and Cu ratios. The catalysts obtained were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption–desorption, H₂-temperature programmed reduction, CO-temperature programmed desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. All of the catalysts had uniform mesopores and high surface areas. The distinct catalytic properties of these well-characterized mesoporous materials were demonstrated for preferential CO oxidation. It is found that the mesoporous cobalt-copper composite oxides, exhibited the higher catalytic activity for CO conversion and selectivity compared with the mesoporous Co₃O₄ and mesoporous CuO. Among these catalysts the mesoporous cobalt-copper catalyst with Co:Cu molar ratio of 70:30, shows the best catalytic activity and the broadest operating temperature “window” for the high CO conversion in the range of 125–200^oC. The higher catalytic activity was attributed to the higher CO adsorption and oxygen vacancies.     

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.     

Cu-LaCoO3催化剂选择氢解生物质基糠醇制备1,5-和1,2-戊二醇

高效转化可再生生物质资源制备人类社会必需的燃料和化学品是当前关注和研究的热点之一.生物质基糠醇来源于玉米芯、甘蔗渣、秸秆等农林副产物,价廉易得,是选择氢解合成高附加值1,2-和1,5-戊二醇的理想原料.目前生物质基呋喃衍生物氢解制备二元醇的研究主要集中在Pt,Ru,Rh和Ir等贵金属催化剂,对无Cr非贵金属催化剂的研究甚少.基于纳米Cu催化剂较高的C-O键氢解活性和较低的C-C键裂解活性,以及碱性载体对反应物和反应中间体的稳定作用,我们在前期Cu-Mg3AlO4.5和Cu-Al2O3催化剂催化糠醇氢解研究基础上,以具有一定碱性的ABO3结构的钙钛矿型化合物为载体负载活性Cu开展糠醇氢解研究,深入研究催化剂结构、组成和活性金属价态等对催化剂活性和选择性影响,并研究了催化剂循环使用稳定性.首先我们采用柠檬酸一步络合法制备了一系列具有一定钙钛矿结构的不同Cu负载量(0-20 wt％)的Cu-LaCoO3催化剂以及LaCoO3负载的5 wt％Pt,Ru,Rh和Pd催化剂并考察了它们的糠醇选择氢解制备戊二醇性能.研究发现,在相同活性金属负载量(5 wt％)时,Cu-LaCoO3催化剂具有较优异的呋喃环C-O键氢解活性,而贵金属催化剂倾向于催化呋喃环C=C键加氢饱和.考察不同Cu负载量的Cu-LaCoO3催化剂催化糠醇氢解性能发现,随着Cu负载量的增加,糠醇转化率先升高后降低,在10 wt％Cu负载量时达最高(94.6％),戊二醇总选择性也随Cu负载量的增加先升高后降低,在5 wt％Cu负载量时最高(52.2％),总体以10 wt％Cu负载量催化剂表现出最优异的性能.接着我们考察了反应动力学条件如温度、压力和反应时间以及还原处理条件对10 wt％Cu-LaCoO3催化性能的影响.研究发现适当的高温(～433 K)和高压(6 MPa H2)有利于Cu-LaCoO3催化糠醇氢解制戊二醇,而低浓度氢气(5 vol％)还原有利于1,5-戊二醇的生成,高氢气浓度(纯氢)还原有利于呋喃环加氢饱和的四氢糠醇生成.10 wt％Cu负载量的催化剂经5％H2-95％N2处理后,在413 K和6 MPa H2条件下可取得100％的糠醇转化率以及55.5％的戊二醇总选择性(其中1,5-戊二醇和1,2-戊二醇的选择性之比接近3:1).进一步考察了10 wt％Cu-LaCoO3催化剂的循环使用稳定性,研究发现无论是在高初始转化率(～93.7％)还是低初始转化率(～30.5％)条件下,经多次循环使用后糠醇转化率先升高后基本保持不变,而戊二醇总选择性呈下降趋势,四氢糠醇的选择性逐渐上升.结合XRD,XPS,BET,H2-TPR,CO2-TPD,NH3-TPD和HRTEM等多种表征技术对Cu-LaCoO3催化剂的结构及在糠醇氢解反应中的活性位进行了表征,发现高分散的活性物种、合适的碱性以及部分还原的活性组分均有利于提高催化剂的活性与1,5-戊二醇的化学选择性,高分散的Cu0与部分还原的Co3O4(很可能是CoO)之间的协同催化对于取得较优异的糠醇氢解性能,尤其是较高的1,5-/1,2-戊二醇比例至关重要.     

Cs取代对Ni-H3PW12O40/SiO2催化剂结构性质和催化性能的影响

采用两步浸渍法和载体上的原位反应制备了一系列Cs部分取代的Ni-Cs_xH_3-xPW₁₂O₄₀/SiO₂催化剂,并用N₂吸附比表面积测定(BET)、电感耦合等离子体发射光谱(ICP)、X射线衍射(XRD)、拉曼光谱(Raman)、原位X射线衍射(in situ XRD)、NH₃程序升温脱附(NH₃-TPD)、H₂程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)、H₂程序升温脱附(H₂-TPD)、吡啶吸附傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱等分析测试技术对催化剂进行了表征. 以正癸烷为模型化合物,对催化剂的加氢裂化性能进行了评价. 结果表明,8%Ni-50%Cs_1.5H_1.5PW/SiO₂催化剂具有最高的C₅₊收率,明显优于8%Ni-50%H₃PW/SiO₂催化剂和工业催化剂. 随着Cs 在Cs_xH_3-xPW中比例的增加,正癸烷的转化率逐渐降低,而C₅₊选择性则逐渐提高. 当催化剂具有合适的孔径时,选择性的提高是由于催化剂酸性的减弱,而转化率的降低则是由于催化剂加氢能力的减弱.     

Synthesis new Co–Mn mixed oxide catalyst for the production of light olefins by tuning the catalyst structure

In order to increase the catalyst activity for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS), the preparation methods of two new catalysts were studied. The chemically identical bimetallic Co–Mn/Al₂O₃ catalysts were synthesized by different synthetic methods: (a) via thermal decomposition of the complex [Co_1.33Mn_0.667(C₇H₃NO₄)₂(H₂O)₅].2H₂O ( 1 ) and (b) by the impregnation technique. The complex was characterized by the single‐crystal analysis, elemental analysis, and Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy. Both catalysts were characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (EDS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area, hydrogen temperature‐programmed reduction (H₂‐TPR), and H₂‐chemisorption. The catalysts' activity was investigated for the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis in a fixed bed microreactor. Higher activity was obtained for the catalyst prepared by thermal decomposition of the inorganic precursor due to its small particle size, superior dispersion, and higher surface area. The results show that the catalyst prepared thermal decomposition has 21% ethylene, 10% propylene, and 50% C₅⁺ selectivity, while methane selectivity of this catalyst is 11% at 250°C. On the other hand, the catalyst obtained by the impregnation method displays 15% ethylene, 8% propylene, 29% C₅⁺_, and 29% methane selectivity at the same temperature.     

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.     

CO oxidation over Co3O4/SiO2 catalysts: Effects of porous structure of silica and catalyst calcination temperature

The catalytic performances of Co3O4/SiO2 catalysts prepared by incipient wetness impregnation for CO oxidation were investigated using three kinds of silica as carriers with different pore sizes of 7.7, 14.0 and 27.0 nm. The effects of calcination temperature on the catalyst surface and micro structure properties as well as catalytic performance for the oxidation of carbon monoxide were also studied. All catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, XPS, FTIR, H2-TPR and O2-TPD. It was found that the properties and crystal size of cobalt-containing species strongly depended on the pore size of silica carrier. While the silica pore size increased from 7.7 to 27.0 nm, the Co3O4 crystal size increased from 8.5 to 13.5 nm. Moreover, it was demonstrated that if the spinel crystal structure of Co3O4 was obtained at a calcination temperature as low as 150 ℃, the catalyst sample would have a high Co3O4 surface dispersion and a increase of surface active species, and thus exhibit a high activity for the oxidation of carbon monoxide.     

Synthesis of Higher Alcohols via Syngas on Cu/Zn/Si Catalysts. Effect of Polyethylene Glycol Content

Cu/Zn/Si catalysts with different polyethylene glycol (PEG) content were prepared by a complete liquid-phase method, and characterized by XRD, H₂-TPR, N₂-adsorption, and XPS. The influence of PEG content on the higher alcohols synthesis from syngas was investigated. The results showed that addition of PEG can influence the texture and surface properties of the catalysts, and therefore affect their activity and product distribution. With an increase in PEG content, BET surface area, Cu crystallite size and surface active ingredient content of the catalysts first increased and then decreased, the CO conversion had similar variation tendency. However, the pore volume and pore diameter of the catalyst increased, and the binding energy of the active component and the content of Cu₂O decreased, which resulted in higher catalyst selectivity towards higher alcohols. The highest C²⁺OH selectivity in total alcohols was 60.6 wt %.     

Iron-based catalysts encapsulated by nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon for selective synthesis of liquid fuels through the Fischer-Tropsch process

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) has the potential to be a powerful strategy for producing liquid fuels from syngas if highly selective catalysts can be developed. Herein, a series of iron nanoparticle catalysts encapsulated by nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon were prepared by a one-step pyrolysis of a ferric L-glutamic acid complex. The FeC-800 catalyst pyrolyzed at 800 °C showed excellent catalytic activity (239.4 μmol_CO g_Fe^–1 s^–1), high C₅–C₁₁ selectivity (49%), and good stability in FTS. The high dispersion of ferric species combined with a well-encapsulated structure can effectively inhibit the migration of iron nanoparticles during the reaction process, which is beneficial for high activity and good stability. The nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon shell can act as an electron donor to the iron particles, thus promoting CO activation and expediting the formation of Fe₅C₂, which is the key factor for obtaining high C₅–C₁₁ selectivity.     

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.     

Preparation of mesoporous CexCoO as highly effective catalysts for toluene combustion: The synergetic effects of structural template and Ce doping

Cobalt‐based catalyst, as a typical catalyst for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) combustion, has attracted extensive attention. However, the catalytic activity of pure Co₃O₄ is difficult to meet the requirements of practical application especially at low temperatures. Therefore, it is key to find an effective way to improve the catalytic performance of Co₃O₄. In this paper, Co₃O₄ is modified by engineering a combination of structural template and Ce dopant. The various characterization results verify that the template agent and the doping of appropriate Ce lead to great changes in the texture property and low temperature reducibility of Co₃O₄, thus resulting in superior catalytic performances of obtained mesoporous Ce_xCoO catalysts. In particular, the best catalyst, Ce_0.05CoO, achieves a toluene conversion of T_90% at 238°C, which is significantly lower than many of the Co‐based catalysts reported in previous literatures. Furthermore, the toluene conversion rate maintains above 90% during 100 h at 238°C. The excellent catalytic performance of Ce_0.05CoO can be attributed to its large specific surface area, uniform pore structure, good low temperature reducibility, and abundant surface oxygen species.     

Nanosized cobalt-based catalyst prepared by supercritical phase condition for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

A series of nanosized Co/Zn/Mn/K composite catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) were prepared by supercritical fluid drying (SCFD) method and common drying (CD) method. The nanosized cobalt-based catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM and BET techniques. Their catalytic performances were tested in a slurry-bed reactor under FTS reaction conditions. The drying and crystallization were carried out simultaneously during SCFD, therefore, the catalysts prepared by SCFD method have ideal structure and show the FTS performance superior to the others prepared by CD method. The FTS activity and selectivity were improved via adding Zn, Mn and K promoters, and less CH₄ and CO₂ as well as higher yield of C₅₊ products were achieved. The optimal performance of a 92% CO conversion and a 65% C₅₊ product yield was obtained over a catalyst with the component of Co/Zn/Mn/K = 100/50/10/7. Furthermore, the catalytic performance was studied under the conditions of liquid-phase and supercritical phase slurry-bed, and C₅₊ product yield were 57.4% and 65.4%, respectively. In summary, better catalytic performance was obtained using the nanosized catalyst prepared by SCFD method under supercritical reaction conditions, resulting in higher conversion of CO, less CO₂ byproduct, and higher yield of C₅₊ products.     

费托合成CeO2助Co/SiO2催化剂的失活

在固定床反应器上考察了原粒度(1～3mm)CeO2助Co/SiO2催化剂的费托反应性能,提出了催化剂失活的机理,并采用程序升温还原、X射线衍射和X射线光电子能谱对催化剂进行了表征.结果表明,在1.5MPa,488K和400h-1条件下进行的300h稳定性实验中,原粒度CeO2助Co/SiO2催化剂上的CO平均转化率达到41%,液态烃选择性达到85%,液态烃中C10 烃的质量含量占88%以上.反应器出口的催化剂中有少量的CoO和Co2SiO4生成.催化剂的失活过程受动力学控制而非热力学控制,催化剂的失活机理为:高分散的纳米Co离子在反应器出口高水蒸气压力的作用下,以CoO为中间物种,与水合SiO2作用生成Co2SiO4,即Co H2O→CoO H2,SiO2 H2O→OSi(OH)2,2CoO OSi(OH)2→Co2SiO4 H2O.     

Highly efficient mesoporous WO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>/KIT-6 catalysts for oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene with hydrogen peroxide

Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of organic compounds containing sulfur element from a model oil was performed using tungsten oxide catalysts supported on mesoporous silica with cubic Ia3d mesostructure, well-defined mesopores (7.2 nm), high surface area (719 m²/g), and three-dimensional pore network (WO _x /KIT-6). The prepared WO _x /KIT-6 catalysts (5–20 wt% WO _x ) were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, N₂ sorption measurements, electron microscopy, H₂-temperature programmed reduction, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Among the mesoporous catalysts, 10 wt% WO _x /KIT-6 exhibited the best catalytic performance. Sulfur-containing organic compounds, such as dibenzothiophene, 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, and benzothiophene, were completely (100 %) removed from the model oil over 10 wt% WO _x /KIT-6 catalyst in 2 h. In addition, the catalyst could be reused several times with only slight decrease in catalytic activity.     

Mo 和 Cu 助剂对 FeK/SiO2 催化剂费托合成性能的影响

 研究了 Mo 和 Cu 助剂对 FeK/SiO₂ 催化剂的性质及费托 (F-T) 合成性能的影响. 采用 N₂ 物理吸附、H₂ 程序升温还原、X 射线衍射、穆斯堡尔谱和 X 射线光电子能谱技术对催化剂进行了表征. 结果表明, Mo 加入后与 Fe 产生了较强的相互作用, 抑制了催化剂的还原和碳化; Cu 助剂的加入促进了催化剂的还原和碳化; 当 Mo 和 Cu 共同加入后, 催化剂的还原和碳化行为与单独加入 Cu 助剂时相似. 催化剂 F-T 合成性能在固定床上于 280 ^oC, 1.5 MPa, 2 000 h^-1, H₂/CO = 2.0 的合成气中测试. 结果表明, Mo 的加入降低了催化剂活性, 但提高了重质烃 (C₅₊) 的选择性; Cu 的添加提高了催化剂的活性, 但对稳定 C₅₊选择性作用不明显. Mo 和 Cu 共同加入后, 催化剂既表现出较为稳定的 C₅₊选择性, 同时其活性也没有降低.     

Catalytic Performance and Kinetic Models on Zirconium Phosphate Modified Ru/Co/SiO2 Fischer–Tropsch Catalyst

The present paper represents the promising ways to improve catalytic performance by introducing zirconium phosphate (ZP) on Ru/Co/SiO₂ catalysts and the related kinetic models using the optimized Fischer?CTropsch synthesis (FTS) catalyst. A lot of works has been reported using cobalt-based catalyst for FTS reaction, and many authors have continuously tried to find out highly efficient FTS catalyst by modifying support as well as by introducing promoters. Silica is one of the excellent candidates as catalytic supports, and the present works intensively represents how to modify SiO₂ support for a high catalytic performance by using ZP species. The effect of ZP-modification of SiO₂ support with respect to cobalt aggregation and catalytic deactivation was mainly investigated for FTS reaction. The surface modification at P/(Zr?+?P) molar ratio between 0.029 and 0.134, enhanced the spatial confinement effect of cobalt clusters, and resulted in high catalytic stability with the help of well-dispersed ZP particle formation. The enhanced catalytic performance, in terms of CO conversion, C₅+ selectivity and catalytic stability, is mainly attributed to the suppressed aggregation, a homogeneous distribution of cobalt clusters with a proper size and a low mobility of cobalt clusters at an optimum molar ratio of P/(Zr?+?P) because of the formation of thermally stable ZP particles. The kinetic parameters and rate equations on the optimized catalyst are also derived in terms of CO conversion and product distribution.     

Metallic nickel supported on mesoporous silica as catalyst for hydrodeoxygenation: effect of pore size and structure

Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of anisole, a methoxy-rich lignin-derived bio-oil model compound, was carried out over a series of Ni-containing (5, 10, 20, and 30 wt%) catalysts with commercial silica and ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 as support. Both supports and catalysts were characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, CO chemisorption, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Catalytic reaction was performed at 250 °C and 10 bar H₂ pressure. Depending on the catalyst support used and the content of active metal, the catalytic activity and product distribution changed drastically. Increase of the nickel loading resulted in increased anisole conversion and C₆ hydrocarbon (benzene and cyclohexane) yield. However, loading more Ni than 20 wt% resulted in a decrease of both conversion and C₆ yield due to agglomeration of Ni particles. In addition, Ni/SBA-15 samples exhibited much stronger catalytic activity and selectivity toward C₆ hydrocarbon products compared with Ni/silica catalysts. The differences in catalytic activity among these catalysts can be attributed to the effect of the pore size and pore structure of mesoporous SBA-15. SBA-15 can accommodate more Ni species inside channels than conventional silica due to its high pore volume with uniform pore structure, leading to high HDO catalytic activity.     

Effect of the support on cobalt carbide catalysts for sustainable production of olefins from syngas

Co₂C-based catalysts with SiO₂, γ-Al₂O₃, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as support materials were prepared and evaluated for the Fischer-Tropsch to olefin (FTO) reaction. The combination of catalytic performance and structure characterization indicates that the cobalt-support interaction has a great influence on the Co₂C morphology and catalytic performance. The CNT support facilitates the formation of a CoMn composite oxide during calcination, and Co₂C nanoprisms were observed in the spent catalysts, resulting in a product distribution that greatly deviates from the classical Anderson-Schulz-Flory (ASF) distribution, where only 2.4 C% methane was generated. The Co₃O₄ phase for SiO₂- and γ-Al₂O₃-supported catalysts was observed in the calcined sample. After reduction, CoO, MnO, and low-valence CoMn composite oxide were generated in the γ-Al₂O₃-supported sample, and both Co₂C nanospheres and nanoprisms were identified in the corresponding spent catalyst. However, only separated phases of CoO and MnO were found in the reduced sample supported by SiO₂, and Co₂C nanospheres were detected in the spent catalyst without the evidence of any Co₂C nanoprisms. The Co₂C nanospheres led to a relatively high methane selectivity of 5.8 C% and 12.0 C% of the γ-Al₂O₃- and SiO₂-supported catalysts, respectively. These results suggest that a relatively weak cobalt-support interaction is necessary for the formation of the CoMn composite oxide during calcination, which benefits the formation of Co₂C nanoprisms with promising catalytic performance for the sustainable production of olefins via syngas.