Comparison of FeMn, FeMnNa and FeMnK Catalysts for the Preparation of Light Olefins from Syngas

Abstract

The influence of sodium and potassium promoters on the structure and reaction behavior of an FeMn catalyst toward light olefin synthesis from syngas was investigated by N2 adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), CO/CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (CO/CO2-TPD), Mossbauer spectroscopy (MES) and CO+H2 reaction. We found that an increase in manganese improves the dispersion of the active Fe component and light olefin selectivity; however, excessive enrichment with the Mn promoter on the catalyst surface suppresses CO conversion. Potassium and sodium inhibit the reduction of the catalyst in H2 and improve the adsorption of CO2 and CO because of the enhanced surface basicity of the catalysts. After reduction with syngas (nH2/nCO=20) and reaction with syngas (nH2/nCO=3.5), the analysis of the bulk structure was compared with those of the FeMn, FeMnNa, and FeMnK catalysts. The results show that FeCx is found in relatively high levels in the FeMnK 1932 LI Jiang-Bing et al.: Comparison of FeMn, FeMnNa and FeMnK Catalysts for the Preparation of Light Olefins No.10