Abstract
The effect of catalyst support on the activity and product selectivity of CO hydrogenation by ruthenium is discussed. The specific activity of supported ruthenium is dependent upon the nature of the support and on the metal loading. The specific activity for both CO conversion and CH4 production increases with increasing metal particle size, obtained either by increasing the metal loading on a given support or by choosing a support which poorly disperses the metal. Supported catalysts with large particles are similar to unsupported ruthenium in activity, but not in selectivity. Product selectivity is characterized by olefin/saturate ratio, length of the hydrocarbon chain, and tendency to produce branched-chain hydrocarbons. Selectivity is a function of both the support and the metal loading. The degree of saturation in the products increases with increasing CO conversion. The length of the hydrocarbon chain is dependent upon temperature, pressure, and nature of the support, but not on the degree of CO conversion. Branched-chain hydrocarbons are produced utilizing acidic supports such as silica-alumina or zeolites, by subsequent isomerization of the initially formed straight-chain products. It is suggested that the support may alter the catalytic behavior of ruthenium through both electronic and dispersional effects.
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