Direct Synthesis of the Reduced Co–C/SiO2 As an Efficient Catalyst for Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

Abstract

The coimpregnation of the glucose and cobalt nitrate aqueous solution into SiO2 followed by the carbonization in an inert gas was demonstrated for the preparation of the directly reduced Co-xC/SiO2 (x: glucose to SiO2 mass ratio) Fischer–Tropsch (FT) catalysts. The as-prepared Co-xC/SiO2 (x = 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5) without any pretreatment was evaluated for FT synthesis under typical conditions. Significantly, the completely reduced Co-xC/SiO2 were obtained when the x was at or above 1.0, and the maximum normalized FT activity (cobalt-time-yield, CTY) of 3.5 × 10–4 molCO·g–1Co·s–1 over Co-1C/SiO2 was doubled the activity of the high-temperature reduced Co/SiO2. Moreover, light hydrocarbons (C1 ∼ C4) were favorably formed over Co-xC/SiO2, and the product distribution can be regulated via simply changing the ratio of the glucose to SiO2. The simple procedure and the cheap glucose make the directly reduced Co-xC/SiO2 catalysts very promising for the development of a more efficient FT process.