Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: Effect of ammonia on supported cobalt catalysts

Abstract

The effect of ammonia in syngas on the performance of various supported cobalt catalysts (i.e., Al2O3, TiO2 and SiO2) was investigated during Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) using a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The addition of ammonia (10ppmv NH3) caused a significant deactivation for all supported cobalt catalysts, but the rate of deactivation was higher for the silica-supported catalysts relative to the alumina and titania-supported catalysts used in this work. Ammonia addition had a positive effect on product selectivity (i.e., lower light gas products and higher C5+) for alumina and titania-supported catalysts compared to ammonia free conditions, whereas, the addition of ammonia increased lighter hydrocarbon (C1–C4) products and decreased higher hydrocarbon (C5+) selectivity compared to ammonia-free synthesis conditions for the silica-supported catalyst. For alumina and titania-supported catalysts, the activity almost recovered with mild in-situ hydrogen treatment of the ammonia exposed catalysts. For the silica-supported catalyst, the loss of activity is somewhat irreversible (i.e., cannot be regained after the mild hydrogen treatment). Addition of ammonia led to a significant loss in BET surface area and changes in pore diameter (consistent with pore collapse of a fraction of pores into the microporous range as described in the literature), as well as formation of catalytically inactive cobalt support compounds for the silica-supported catalyst. On the other hand, the pore characteristics of alumina and titania-supported catalysts were not significantly changed. XANES results of the ammonia exposed silica-supported catalysts further confirm the formation of cobalt-support compounds (cobalt silicates).