Development of Fe-based catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to higher hydrocarbons for operating in slurry reactor

Abstract

The development of CO2 hydrogenation catalysts for hydrocarbon production is a challenging and relevant task as it can contribute to solving of the CO2 emission problem. In the present work, we describe our journey in the development of catalysts for operating in a slurry reactor. The screening of the preparation methods and catalyst composition yielded an active and highly selective CO2 hydrogenation catalyst with catalytic performances comparable to the best ones reported in the literature. The most perspective catalysts were successfully evaluated in CO2 hydrogenation using a slurry reactor. The supported catalysts were found to have a lower ability to form higher hydrocarbons compared to bulk catalysts. This could be correlated with the particle sizes of the active component of the respective catalysts. This insight may be useful in preparing tailor-made Fe-based catalysts with high chain growth probability. The important issue of mechanical strength for slurry operation was highlighted.